SEAL BEACH
HUNTINGTON BEACH
“Save Trestles” campaign trying to get support for new toll road meeting
July 1st, 2008, 6:07 pm · 11 Comments · posted by Laylan Connelly, staff writer
Surfrider is trying to gather support for a public hearing by the Secretary of Commerce regarding the hotly debated 241 Toll Road extension.
The meeting will be held on July 25 at the Bren center at UC Irvine.
The Transportation Corridor Agencies has been pushing for a toll road, which would cut through San Onofre State Park.
Opponents argued that this would destroy one of Southern California’s last pristine coastal watersheds and the surf at Trestles, an area with 12 surf breaks for every kind of surfer. About 2,500 people stepped up to support the “Save Trestles” campaign, showing up during the 14-hour meeting in San Diego last February.
Surfrider rented three buses to bring people in, but many people came on their own – including some supporters who drove down from San Francisco.
The California Coastal Commission voted down the proposed 16-mile extension of the Foothill (241) Toll Road, connecting Rancho Santa Margarita to the San Diego (I-5) Freeway south of San Clemente.
While they hailed the decision a victory, toll road opponents expected an appeal. They are hoping for a similar turnout for this next meeting and will be running buses to and from the hearing.
For more info, go to www.savetrestles.org
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July 2nd, 2008 at 6:23 am
Where is Huel Howser when you need him? The TCA only wants money. The 241 is under used as it is. Check the usage numbers. Think long term! Save what is left of Orange County.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:47 am
We need an alternative to the growing traffic on the I-5. It doesn’t make sense to have a road that ends a few miles short of connecting to the freeway. Finish the 241 already!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:47 am
we need the road.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
With gas approaching $5 a gallon, who cares! Let get some relief at the pump for pete’s sake!
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
You want to save gas? Try going the speed limit. The stop & go traffic on the freeway costs more in gas than the tolls on the toll roads.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:14 am
More roads bring increases population which bring more roads. The only reason they want this road to be built is to provide a more direct route to the beach for all the new development that the greedy developers want to build.
It will not decrease traffic.
July 5th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
are you all serious? this toll road is going to ruin the beaches, enviornment, and animlas in the area. this is probably one of th worst ideas. who cares if you have to go a little further? keeping the toll road as it is will help our enviornment in the long road. screw the toll road extension. SAVE TRESTLES!
July 5th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
AT ISSUE…
The Transportation Corridor Agency is seeking to build an extension to the existing 241 Toll Road. The proposed Foothill Transportation Corridor South (FTC-South) is a sixteen-mile long toll road highway that would connect the current terminus of the 241 Toll Road to Interstate 5. The TCA is proposing six alignments for this project; four of which run directly through and along San Mateo Creek. If constructed, not only would this project directly threaten the world class surf break at and around Trestles (including Uppers, Lowers, Middles, Church and Cottons), the project would also result in the obliteration of Southern California’s last remaining pristine coastal watershed and substantially degrade habitat that is critical for the survival of at least seven endangered species, including the Southern Steelhead trout.
HOW WILL THE 241 SAN MATEO CREEK ALIGNMENT AFFECT THE SURFING EXPERIENCE?
Wave Degradation
This project would require substantial grading of the terrain and millions of yards of hard reinforcement (steel, concrete and other materials), that will alter the natural sediment flow through San Mateo Creek,, which supplies sand to the Trestles surf breaks.
According to the Transportation Corridor Agency’s own engineering consultants, losses in sedimentation flow would cause “substantial degradation to surfing resources,” which will likely result in significant degradation to the wave quality at Lower Trestles and nearby breaks (including Uppers, Middles, Cottons and Church).
Water Quality
A recent scientific report demonstrates that when over 10 percent of a watershed is paved there are significant water quality and ecosystem impacts.
Similar projects have resulted in generating significant increases of oils, heavy metals and other toxins. Given the proximity of the project to the watershed, this project would result in a decrease of water quality for Trestles and the surrounding breaks.
The TCA’s assertion that they can mitigate for this run-off is dubious. The initial mitigation systems that were installed on the nearby RT73 Toll Road failed, and had to be replaced at tax-payer expense. All mitigation efforts are ineffective during large rain events.
Environmental Damage from the Toll Road
The walk in at Trestles is half the experience. The area is home to numerous native plant and animal species, including several endangered species. This area would be profoundly impacted by such a massive project essentially cutting the San Mateo Creek watershed in half.
The FTC-South will run directly through San Onofre Beach State Park. This 2028 acre park the 5th most visited park in the California State Parks system.
The San Mateo Creek Watershed is one of the last large coastal open spaces in Southern California The FTC-South will forever change this last vestige of coastal wilderness, including profound compromises to the Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy.
THE PROJECT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO BEGIN WITH…
It Provides No Traffic Relief
TCA claims that the FTC-South will provide relief of traffic congestion along Interstate 5 in fact contradict their own FTC-South traffic projections that rely on cannibalizing San Diego County bound traffic from the I-15 and feeding that Inland Empire traffic to the I-5 via the toll roads.
FTC-South would be built through undeveloped land, which would promote development, and ultimately bring forth new traffic from urbanization.
FTC-South will increase, not decrease traffic on the 1-5 stretch in south San Clemente where the proposed toll road will merge with 1-5, which is already at over-capacity along this stretch. Northern San Diego County will also be affected by potentially severe increases in traffic congestion.
Expense
The FTC-South is expected to cost close to $1 billion (nearly $53 million a mile). Currently the plan is to fund the project by non-recourse bonds, as well as development impact fees that are already being added to real estate sales in Southern Orange County.
Contrary to TCA claims, these projects are NOT SELF FUNDED! According to an October 10, 2005 article in the Orange County Register, the nearby RT73 Toll Road is “financially struggling” and “faces not being able to make its debt payments in about nine years.”
SAVE TRSTLES! OPPOSE THE TOLL ROAD!
-rally to save it july 25 in irvine. show the support.
July 6th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Well put meow… you’d think an 8-2 vote by the coastal commision would be enough to put this proposal in the grave, but the TCA’s disregard for the commisions decision and the public’s overwhelming opposition, shows what they are after….money. I invite everyone who still thinks the people’s decision should be upheld to be at the meeting on July 25th…
July 7th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Who cares. I live in Newport. I say build it. Trestles is too crowded these days anyways.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Building additional road system improvements (like the 241 extension) without taxpayer dollars is the most equitable situation possible. Only future road users will pay for the 241.
If a nuclear power plant has not ruined the adjacent beaches by now, I think that it is more than just a little naive to believe a freeway intersection (designed with advanced civil engineering principles) will have a larger impact. Half truths and inuendos regarding the possible negative impact of treated storm water runoff will eventually be exposed as untrue. Lay people, whether a member of Surfriders Foundation or not, should still rely on trained, educated technical experts to interpret science. Emotional hysteria is not based on scientific facts. SAVE THE TOLLROAD.