An artist’s rendering of the toll road that could effectively destroy Trestles. Image: Surfrider
One of the most unnecessary and opaque transportation agencies in California is at it again. Despite widespread public opposition, the Orange County-based Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) is back at the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, asking for permits to build the first 5.5 mile segment of a toll road that is so destructive and so poorly planned that it was rejected by both the California Coastal Commission and the Bush Administration in 2008.
TCA has resurrected its proposal to build the toll road, only this time its plan is to chop the project into smaller segments so it can start building without resolving problems raised by other agencies. The TCA recently approved the first segment, called the “Tesoro Extension,” and is now seeking approvals from other state and federal agencies.
The Save San Onofre Coalition—a broad-based group of conservationists, surfers, and park advocates representing millions of Californians—is reopening its 2006 lawsuit against the agency, has filed a new lawsuit challenging the toll road, and is rallying public support to stop this unpopular highway project in the same way it was stopped five years ago. To try to repackage the same project and sneak it through, piece by piece, is not only deceitful, it is illegal.
Here’s why the toll road isn’t good for Southern California:
· It isn’t a sound investment. TCA’s existing toll roads have been a financial disaster–not one has met its projections for ridership or financial stability, which has led to toll rate increases and a proposal to keep tolls in place much farther into the future than previously promised. Independent research from conservative think tank Pacific Research Institute has declared the 241 toll road extension “unsustainable” and “unmanageable.” TCA also signed a new CEO to a six-figure contract with a signing bonus.
· It won’t alleviate traffic. There are other ways to relieve traffic congestion on the I-5, and we don’t need to build another highway to do it. Transportation improvements within the I-5 freeway, such as the construction of new high-occupancy vehicle and mixed-flow lanes, together with limited arterial improvements, would achieve traffic benefits that, according to TCA’s own data, equal or exceed those of the proposed toll road.
· It will destroy one of California’s most popular beaches. San Onofre State Beach is a rare 3,000-acre scenic coastal-canyon park, including three distinct areas: San Onofre Bluffs, San Onofre Surf Beach, and San Mateo Campground. It is consistently ranked as one of the most popular state parks in California, with over 1.6 million visitors per year. The Tesoro Extension is the first step of TCA’s plan to build right up to the doorstep of the state park, at which point there will be no alternative but to complete the road through the park.
· It’s a flagrant violation of the public review process. Voters and residents of the region overwhelmingly turned out in opposition to the road in 2008. But TCA approved the Tesoro Extension in a last minute meeting held April 18, 2013, with no meaningful notice given to the public – except to project supporters, who were told of the meeting and urged to attend.
To stop this destructive project again, NRDC and the Save San Onofre Coalition have re-opened the 2006 CEQA lawsuit and filed a new suit challenging the Tesoro Extension. Attorney General Kamala Harris has also filed a similar lawsuit against the Tesoro Extension on behalf of the people of California.
Members of the public are invited to comment at the upcoming San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board hearing next Wednesday, June 19th at 1:00 PM at 9174 Sky Park Court, San Diego, CA 92123.
