Foothill South Tollway Funding Bid Opposed--It May Cross State Park

Environmentalists opposed to the construction of the proposed Foothill South toll road are protesting the county toll agency’s request for millions in state transportation funds for a project that could run through some of the last pristine coastal land left in Southern California.

Critical letters delivered Thursday to Caltrans, the Orange County Transportation Authority and the county Transportation Corridor Agencies--the last of which oversees the project--called it “unconscionable” to request public funds to build a toll road that could run through a popular state park. One of the two proposed routes calls for the road to cut through San Onofre State Beach.

If built, the Foothill South will be the final link in a 67-mile tollway system in Orange County. The road would connect Oso Parkway with Interstate 5.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies--a public agency scheduled to go out of business when the bill for the roads is paid and they become freeways--originally requested $50 million in state transportation funds through the county Transportation Authority.

Last week, toll road officials slashed the request for funds to $5 million after learning that only $64 million was allocated for Southern California transportation projects, said TCA spokeswoman Lisa Telles. The Foothill South is projected to cost $644 million.

Environmentalists, many of whom have vowed to fight the Foothill South to the end, say the amount requested makes little difference.

“The cat’s out of the bag,” said Claire Schlotterbeck, president of the group that helped create Chino Hills State Park. “They’re still going after public funds for a private road that [could] destroy a public state park.”

The agencies--which have funded the roads largely through private investors and development fees--qualify for state money through a program that funds transportation projects. The Foothill South is eligible because it would improve transportation between San Diego and Orange County.

Toll road officials said the request for public funds is a tiny portion of the overall financing and that it’s money to make it possible for them to turn the toll roads into freeways sooner. About 6% of the funds for the $2.7 billion in toll roads already built in the county came from state sources, according to Telles.

“They are still public roads, so when there are opportunities for public funds, we do make requests for them,” Telles said.

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Possible Paths

Over the opposition of environmentalists, transportation officials want the Foothill South to connect commuters to Interstate 5. The two proposed routes are shown below: