OCTA Adopts $4.6-Billion Plan

Drawing up a wish list designed to head off “complete gridlock,” the Orange County Transportation Authority on Monday adopted a strategic plan that recommends spending $4.6 billion on transit projects over the next 10 years.

“This is a commitment to deliver,” said Supervisor Todd Spitzer, vice chairman of the OCTA board of directors. “We have a responsibility to build on what Measure M was created for.”

The plan will exhaust current and future revenue from Measure M, the half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1990. The tax is expected to generate about $4.5 billion for Orange County transportation projects by the time it is phased out in 2020.

In a unanimous decision, board members proposed a variety of ways Measure M money might be spent over the next decade, but they stopped short of approving specific projects. Their action also called on the agency’s staff to study the financial soundness of the plan and report back by year’s end.

“We need to stay ahead of the curve,” said Arthur T. Leahy, the authority’s chief executive officer. “It is our responsibility to start now on the development of comprehensive transportation improvements for Orange County. If we don’t, we are headed for complete gridlock.”

The wish list includes street and highway improvements, carpool lanes, a 10- to 15-mile light rail line, increased bus service and the expansion of Metrolink, the four-county commuter rail network.

Among the road improvements are a host of possibilities for the Riverside Freeway. The plan also calls for carpool lanes for the Garden Grove Freeway and the long-awaited widening of the Santa Ana Freeway in north Orange County.

OCTA estimates the transportation initiative will cost about $4.6 billion. The agency has earmarked $3.2 billion of its own funds, mostly from Measure M. The balance is expected to come from state and federal sources.

County transportation officials say many, if not all, of the projects will be needed to meet “a tidal wave” of transit demand as the region’s population grows. If present trends continue, Orange County will add as many as 600,000 residents by 2025.

“This should be our mission statement,” OCTA Director Sarah L. Catz said. “From our outreach efforts, we know the public has said they want these projects.”

Before casting their votes in favor of the plan, several board members questioned whether OCTA could afford such a broad undertaking.

They were concerned that too many assumptions were being made about Measure M’s potential revenue and the availability of state and federal funding.

“The price tag exceeds our means,” Director Tim Keenan said. “Perhaps a ‘son of Measure M’ needs to be considered.”

Additional Buses, Expanded Service

Last year, a report by the Southern California Assn. of Governments recommended that voters be asked to extend transportation sales taxes in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Some Orange County officials have said a renewal of the tax is needed to maintain adequate funding for transportation.

Leahy said the proposed projects could be supported by Measure M before it expires.

He described the wish list as ambitious, but--even by conservative terms--doable.

In other action Monday, board members approved a $3.1-million plan to add 35 buses and 60,000 hours of service along 18 routes. The expansion, which will take effect Dec. 9, is designed to lower travel times, improve bus connections and increase ridership.

OCTA also is studying the possible elimination of four other routes because of poor performance--131 on Lakeview Street, 164 on Lampson Avenue, 173 on Orange Avenue and 203, the San Juan Capistrano-Fullerton express.