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Published On: Jan 11, 2006 04:21 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jan 11, 2006 04:21 PM
OC Toll Road Builders Ignore Public & Environment - They Seek To Destroy State Park, Land Conservancy & Beach at San Onofre
Only Public Outrage & Governor Schwarzennegger Can Stop These Madmen Now!
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Beach route is choice for toll road
Agency's plan affects San Onofre
campground
By Michael Burge
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 7, 2005
SD Union-Tribune
SAN CLEMENTE – The staff of an Orange County toll-road agency is recommending a highway be built through San Onofre State Beach over the objection of environmentalists and the state commission that oversees California preserves.
The staff of the Transportation Corridor Agencies released the project's final environmental impact report yesterday and named a route that would cut across the northern edge of Camp Pendleton east of Interstate 5 as the preferred alternative.
That section of Camp Pendleton is leased to the 2,100-acre San Onofre State Beach and includes the San Mateo campground. Many of the campgrounds 161 sites would be within 500 feet of the road.
The toll road, called Foothill-South, would extend state Route 241 south from Oso Parkway in Mission Viejo and connect to I-5 in San Clemente near Basilone Road.
The 11,000-page environmental analysis found that the 16.9-mile route would not harm the world-famous Trestles surf breaks at the state beach but would harm three of the nine threatened or endangered species whose habitats it would pass.
It said the project would hurt the thread-leaved brodiaea, arroyo toad and California gnatcatcher and could affect the tidewater goby and southern steelhead trout.
The analysis said the project would compensate for those impacts by setting aside land nearby and by assuring that fish can swim in and out of San Mateo Creek.
It also said the project would include a sound wall at the San Mateo campground on Cristianitos Road east of the freeway to shield campers from road noise.
Rich Rozzelle, a state parks superintendent, said yesterday he was disappointed that the agencies selected a route through San Onofre, one of the state system's most popular parks with more than 2 million visitors annually.
Last month the state Park and Recreation Commission adopted a resolution opposing a route through the park. The resolution asks the governor and attorney general to oppose such a choice and, if necessary, sue to stop it.
The commission has no authority to veto a highway through a state park.
The proposed toll road would offer an alternative to I-5 for motorists driving between southern Orange County and inland Orange County or Riverside County. The environmental analysis says that in 20 years, without transportation improvements, it would probably take one hour to drive I-5 from the San Diego/Orange County line to Oso Parkway – a distance of about 18 miles. The toll road would reduce that to 25 minutes.
The agencies studied six toll-road routes, as well as whether to widen I-5 from Cristianitos Road to Irvine or expand surface streets, before recommending the route designated as "Alignment 7, the far east crossover, modified."
The project would need permits from several state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state Department of Fish and Game and the state Coastal Commission.
Macy Cleary-Milan, deputy director for environmental planning for the Transportation Corridor Agencies, said the alignment announced yesterday represents the best possible balance of relieving traffic congestion and minimizing environmental impacts to people and nature.
"It's the least environmentally damaging and preferred alternative," Cleary-Milan said at a media briefing at the agencies' San Clemente offices.
James Brown, the project's principal engineer, said that the toll road would stay within the existing freeway footprint where it would connect with I-5 and not take land west of the freeway for construction. It would connect with I-5 by way of a bridge 30 feet above the freeway's surface.
Environmental groups, including the Surfrider Foundation, have objected to a toll road through the park on grounds that it would tamper with the natural movement of sand to the beach and alter the world-famous Trestles surf breaks.
David Skelly of GeoSoils Inc., who performed the hydrology study regarding Trestles, said yesterday the surf spot is not sensitive to sand sediment and the highway would not significantly increase silt buildup.
He said the break is formed by larger stones and cobbles that lie on the ocean floor and those will not be affected by the project.
Transportation Corridor Agencies officials said the project would include 12 detention basins to capture and filter runoff from I-5 and the new highway and protect water quality.
The environmental analysis also said the project would include 15 undercrossings to allow wildlife to pass beneath the highway.
Representatives of environmental groups that oppose the project voiced their objections outside the agency office after the briefing.
James Birkelund, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the project's environmental analysis was flawed because "it completely failed to analyze impacts to the park" and did not correctly weigh alternatives.
"They're a single-purpose (agency) with one interest: to build toll roads," Birkelund said.
Brittany McKee of the Sierra Club said the route choice came as no surprise.
"They've gone ahead and created this whole process that favored the one they wanted all along," McKee said. "It's certainly not the best choice for the environment."
The Foothill-South Transportation Corridor Agency board, which is part of the Orange County Transportation Corridor Agencies, is scheduled to consider the final environmental impact report at a meeting Jan. 12 at 9:30 a.m. at Mission Viejo City Hall.
Rozzelle, the state parks superintendent, said that gives the public too little time to weigh an 11,000-page document that took 15 years to develop.
"It's almost like they don't want the public to participate," he said.
By Michael Burge
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 7, 2005
SD Union-Tribune
SAN CLEMENTE – The staff of an Orange County toll-road agency is recommending a highway be built through San Onofre State Beach over the objection of environmentalists and the state commission that oversees California preserves.
The staff of the Transportation Corridor Agencies released the project's final environmental impact report yesterday and named a route that would cut across the northern edge of Camp Pendleton east of Interstate 5 as the preferred alternative.
That section of Camp Pendleton is leased to the 2,100-acre San Onofre State Beach and includes the San Mateo campground. Many of the campgrounds 161 sites would be within 500 feet of the road.
The toll road, called Foothill-South, would extend state Route 241 south from Oso Parkway in Mission Viejo and connect to I-5 in San Clemente near Basilone Road.
The 11,000-page environmental analysis found that the 16.9-mile route would not harm the world-famous Trestles surf breaks at the state beach but would harm three of the nine threatened or endangered species whose habitats it would pass.
It said the project would hurt the thread-leaved brodiaea, arroyo toad and California gnatcatcher and could affect the tidewater goby and southern steelhead trout.
The analysis said the project would compensate for those impacts by setting aside land nearby and by assuring that fish can swim in and out of San Mateo Creek.
It also said the project would include a sound wall at the San Mateo campground on Cristianitos Road east of the freeway to shield campers from road noise.
Rich Rozzelle, a state parks superintendent, said yesterday he was disappointed that the agencies selected a route through San Onofre, one of the state system's most popular parks with more than 2 million visitors annually.
Last month the state Park and Recreation Commission adopted a resolution opposing a route through the park. The resolution asks the governor and attorney general to oppose such a choice and, if necessary, sue to stop it.
The commission has no authority to veto a highway through a state park.
The proposed toll road would offer an alternative to I-5 for motorists driving between southern Orange County and inland Orange County or Riverside County. The environmental analysis says that in 20 years, without transportation improvements, it would probably take one hour to drive I-5 from the San Diego/Orange County line to Oso Parkway – a distance of about 18 miles. The toll road would reduce that to 25 minutes.
The agencies studied six toll-road routes, as well as whether to widen I-5 from Cristianitos Road to Irvine or expand surface streets, before recommending the route designated as "Alignment 7, the far east crossover, modified."
The project would need permits from several state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state Department of Fish and Game and the state Coastal Commission.
Macy Cleary-Milan, deputy director for environmental planning for the Transportation Corridor Agencies, said the alignment announced yesterday represents the best possible balance of relieving traffic congestion and minimizing environmental impacts to people and nature.
"It's the least environmentally damaging and preferred alternative," Cleary-Milan said at a media briefing at the agencies' San Clemente offices.
James Brown, the project's principal engineer, said that the toll road would stay within the existing freeway footprint where it would connect with I-5 and not take land west of the freeway for construction. It would connect with I-5 by way of a bridge 30 feet above the freeway's surface.
Environmental groups, including the Surfrider Foundation, have objected to a toll road through the park on grounds that it would tamper with the natural movement of sand to the beach and alter the world-famous Trestles surf breaks.
David Skelly of GeoSoils Inc., who performed the hydrology study regarding Trestles, said yesterday the surf spot is not sensitive to sand sediment and the highway would not significantly increase silt buildup.
He said the break is formed by larger stones and cobbles that lie on the ocean floor and those will not be affected by the project.
Transportation Corridor Agencies officials said the project would include 12 detention basins to capture and filter runoff from I-5 and the new highway and protect water quality.
The environmental analysis also said the project would include 15 undercrossings to allow wildlife to pass beneath the highway.
Representatives of environmental groups that oppose the project voiced their objections outside the agency office after the briefing.
James Birkelund, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the project's environmental analysis was flawed because "it completely failed to analyze impacts to the park" and did not correctly weigh alternatives.
"They're a single-purpose (agency) with one interest: to build toll roads," Birkelund said.
Brittany McKee of the Sierra Club said the route choice came as no surprise.
"They've gone ahead and created this whole process that favored the one they wanted all along," McKee said. "It's certainly not the best choice for the environment."
The Foothill-South Transportation Corridor Agency board, which is part of the Orange County Transportation Corridor Agencies, is scheduled to consider the final environmental impact report at a meeting Jan. 12 at 9:30 a.m. at Mission Viejo City Hall.
Rozzelle, the state parks superintendent, said that gives the public too little time to weigh an 11,000-page document that took 15 years to develop.
"It's almost like they don't want the public to participate," he said.
Posted: Wed - December 7, 2005 at 08:47 AM