241 FAST FACTS —————————————————————————————

Foothill South is the final 16-mile segment of the Foothill (241) Toll Road.

Foothill South is designed to relieve traffic on I-5 and city streets.

The TCA, Transportation Corridor Agency, is a public, not-for-profit agency governed by a board of directors of elected officials from Orange County.

The project has been on the Orange County Master Plan of Arterial Highways since 1981.

Completion of the 241 was planned with extraordinary attention to water quality.

The 241 is designed to avoid occupied habitat areas for the Pacific pocket mouse and areas of high Arroyo toad populations.

The route for Foothill South does not remove or damage any campsites within San Onofre State Park and is 385 feet from the closest campsite.

The permit process is expected to take until at least 2010. Construction could begin as early as 2011 and will take three years to complete.

Six toll road alternatives and two non-toll road alternatives were analyzed in the draft environmental document, which was circulated for public review in 2004. This 241 extension was the least damaging to people and wildlife.

If nothing is done, traffic will increase by 60% in 2025 at the Orange County/San Diego County line. By 2025, weekend traffic congestion at the OC/San Diego County line will rival that of the 91 Freeway without the completion of the 241.

Sixty-nine percent of South Orange County residents support completing the last segment of the 241 Toll Road, according to a 2005 public opinion survey.

Two independent scientific studies conducted by Skelly Geosoils, Inc., and RBF Consulting confirmed that there will be a negligible impact to the surf break at Trestles.

The Toll Roads’ noncompete clause does not allow the Agencies to stop any new construction. Projects included in the county’s Master Plan of Arterial Highways are exempt, including carpool lanes on Interstate 5 and the completion of La Pata. Anything Caltrans deems necessary for public safety is also exempt. The clause allows the Toll Roads to seek compensation only for the amount of lost revenue required to make the Agencies’ bond payments. The clause applies to highway projects; plans to build new streets or expand existing streets are not covered by the clause, which expires completely in 2020.

The completed 241 Toll Road will connect drivers from San Clement, San Juan Capistrano and San Diego County to communities and job centers in Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Irvine, Tustin, Orange, Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda and the Inland Empire.