Toll Roads Are Called Part of the Solution

Re “O.C.’s Tollway Operators in Driver’s Seat,” Nov. 25:

Orange County’s public toll roads were built to reduce traffic congestion, and they’re working. The roads take more than 200,000 cars per day off local freeways and streets. The toll-road agencies are committed to improving mobility throughout the region, but noncompete clauses are not the problem--they’re part of the solution.

In fact, TCA’s noncompete clause allows billions of dollars worth of future road-improvement projects to move forward despite potential negative impacts to toll revenue. When these agreements were developed, TCA, Caltrans, OCTA and SCAG worked together to exempt hundreds of miles of new roads and improvements to existing streets near the toll roads from all of the noncompete requirements, including:

* All planned Measure M projects, including the reconstruction of the El Toro “Y” and the widening of the Costa Mesa Freeway.

* All the improvements outlined in the Master Plan of Arterial Highways.

* Construction of any project consistent with OCTA’s 2020 Orange County Transportation Vision Plan under the Eastern Toll Road cooperative agreement.

* All the improvements identified in the 1992 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for the San Joaquin Hills toll road and the 1994 STIP for the Foothill/Eastern toll roads.

* Numerous other capacity-enhancing projects outlined in 1997 that were envisioned to be completed near the San Joaquin Hills toll road by 2020 by OCTA, cities, the county and major developers. The private financing of the toll roads saved taxpayers $3 billion. The noncompete agreement protects the thousands of individuals who invested in the toll roads, while still allowing all planned transportation improvements in the county to proceed.

Those investments are paying off for all Orange County drivers. Without the toll roads, traffic on our freeways and streets would be much, much worse. Studies show that congestion during an evening commute at the El Toro “Y” would last more than four hours without the toll roads. And the public understands this. Recent polls show that a majority of residents believe the toll roads are relieving traffic throughout the region.

When funding and schedules for OCTA’s planned freeway improvements are on the table, I am confident we can reach an agreement that will ultimately relieve traffic and benefit all Orange County drivers. We are committed to working with Caltrans and OCTA to find ways to keep traffic moving in Orange County.

Joel Lautenschleger

Chairman,

San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency