Toll Road Isn’t a Success Story

I have been reading with great interest the difficulties of the San Joaquin Transportation Corridor Agency. The toll road is generating less than half of the revenue originally projected. In the meantime, some of the agency’s board members are trying to keep confidential any discussions regarding refinancing efforts, which will surely be necessary to avoid default on the $1.2 billion in outstanding construction bonds.

Toll road proponents--the county supervisors, developers and business leaders--assured us that we needed this road to serve the transportation needs of Orange County and to stimulate business growth and job creation. They claimed it would be self-financing and environmentally friendly. Though it has eased congestion to some degree, it is grossly underutilized, financially perilous, and has permanently scarred the “open” space through Laguna Canyon with eroding hillsides and a concrete barrier to all forms of wildlife.

RICHARD PLAVETICH

Laguna Beach