NEWPORT BEACH : City Won’t Join Suit Over Road Conversion
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The City Council has decided not to join a lawsuit that seeks to block the conversion of a section of Newport Coast Drive to a toll road.
Though council members said they oppose the conversion, they voted unanimously to stay out of the legal fray.
The county’s Transportation Corridor Agencies plans to renovate a strip of Newport Coast Drive and incorporate it into the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor.
Opponents sued the TCA late last year, saying they were promised that Newport Coast Drive would remain a free road giving commuters passage from Irvine and Newport Beach to Laguna Beach and other South County areas.
Among their concerns is that the toll would encourage motorists to use Coast Highway through Corona del Mar, adding to already congested traffic there.
The council voted to send a letter to the TCA voicing opposition to the plan. “If we don’t want the toll . . . at least they can see how we feel,” Councilwoman Jean H. Watt said.
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