Orange County Officials OK Study on Proposed Highway
Orange County transportation officials approved a $50,000 study Monday to gauge public sentiment about a proposed highway through the Cleveland National Forest, a controversial link that would connect Orange County businesses to workers in Riverside County.
Worried that their counterparts in Riverside County are moving too rapidly on the proposed highway, Orange County Transportation Authority officials said the report would help them decide whether to back or reject the plan before it gains too much momentum.
While the authority has yet to vote on whether to support construction of a $3-billion highway, which would cut wooded hills and most certainly encounter heavy opposition from environmentalists, the Riverside County Transportation Commission and Riverside County supervisors have been steadily lining up support for the project among state and federal officials.
The three-month study will record the perceptions of local businesses, property owners and environmentalists, and evaluate other alternatives.
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