San Joaquin Tollway Work Begins Saturday

After years of turmoil, construction on Orange County’s most controversial highway--the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor--is likely to begin this Saturday, officials said.

The announcement by tollway officials drew an immediate protest from Joel Reynolds, attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a national environmental group that has sued to block construction of the 17.5-mile toll road between Newport Beach and San Juan Capistrano, parallel to Interstate 5.

“We will seek a temporary restraining order, which is intended to prevent irreversible damage and preserve the status quo,” said Reynolds. “I think our chances of getting such a court order are very good, because construction of the corridor would prejudice not only the interest of the (environmentalists) who have filed lawsuits, but also the right to be heard in court when those cases come to trial. . . . If the natural resources are lost, then it makes the court cases moot.”

Tollway officials said they have met all regulatory requirements, and their builder, California Corridor Constructors, will be ready to proceed as of Saturday.

Initial activity will involve relocation of coastal sage scrub topsoil to the Coyote Canyon area, which is required under a plan designed to reduce the tollway’s adverse impact on the California gnatcatcher, a rare songbird. Officials declined to specify other locations where they said construction may begin simultaneously.