On (San Joaquin Hills Toll) Road Again
* Your editorial (“Have a Heart--Build a Toll Road Bypass,” Jan. 2) concerning the Transportation Corridor Agencies’ plan to charge a toll on a portion of Newport Coast Drive when it becomes a part of the San Joaquin Hills Toll Road addresses a problem that is only the tip of the iceberg.
Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) and others are rightly upset that this previously free ride will soon begin to cost drivers a dollar or so per round trip. But what your commentary neglects to mention is the reason the TCA so adamantly insists the tolls be assessed: Toll revenues from Newport Coast Drive make up a significant portion of the monies budgeted to support the near-junk-level bonds issued to finance the ill-conceived San Joaquin Hills Toll Road project.
Without the Newport Coast tolls, the TCA will be unable to service the debt on its high-risk bonds. And who will ultimately pick up the tab when those bonds go into default? Not just the few motorists who pay to use the toll road, but every taxpayer in Orange County. Because, you see, the federal government has guaranteed those precarious investments with our tax dollars to the tune of over $1 million!
Assemblyman Ferguson is to be applauded for looking out for the constituents in his own district, and it is commendable that The Times would like to see a toll-free extension of Ford Road built. But a mere bypass enabling a few folks to avoid the toll on Newport Coast Drive will not protect the rest of us taxpayers from a bailout of private speculators’ toll road bond losses.
It’s time for our other elected representatives to follow Mr. Ferguson’s lead and act now to prevent public funds from being used to buoy up private investment in a risky, non-public venture. Because when the toll road goes broke, there won’t be any bypass available for the taxpayers who’ll be forced to foot the bill.
ANITA M. MANGELS
Laguna Beach
* Re: Toll Road Bypass:
Surely others must have thought of this solution: Why not issue coded passes for all who drive Newport Coast Drive regularly?
Eligibility could be based on: point of origin--address; frequency of use; destination--job location; and other daily justifiable needs.
Plastic or paper is cheap. Pavement is expensive.
IRMA FRANKLIN
Laguna Hills
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