Opposition Expressed For 241 Toll Road Expansion

SAN CLEMENTE, CA —In November, Senator Pat Bates and others met in a Toll Road Town Hall in San Clemente to discuss a potential toll road extension, expressing her opposition to that plan. Last Wednesday, Caltrans met in Dana Point to decided where to focus the next phase: an environmental study for the toll road expansion project.

That environmental study was slated to start in mid-2020, regardless of which of the ten options Caltrans chooses.

OCTA has committed $5 million to pare down the options for the 241 toll road, including through these neighborhood forums. Thus far, none of the proposed expansion plans are being greeted with open arms.

Overall, there is a strong case of "Not in My Back Yard" across most of South Orange County.

San Clemente residents are outspoken on their opposition against 241 expansion through their city, saying it will "cut the beach town in half." Residents of San Clemente like the Los Patrones Parkway solution that will create a beltway from the 241 to the I-5, the Register reported. Los Patrones Parkway already connects the 241 to Rancho Mission Viejo.

Residents to the north, in Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, and Rancho Mission Viejo, oppose the east-west "beltway options" that would connect the 241 to the I-5 freeway.

The Orange County Register reported south county resident David DeZarn saying the influx of new residents to Laguna Niguel adds to traffic woes.
"East-west roads, such as Oso Parkway, are being stressed," he told the Register. DeZarsays that in five years, there will be an even more significant traffic problem in the area for east-west drivers.

Natalie Simmons of San Juan Capistrano expressing her displeasure at the idea.

"The area doesn't need to have a toll road through the middle of it," Simmons told the Register. An avid hiker who loves her hillsides of San Juan Capistrano, she feels the beltway options will destroy her favorite place to go and get out of the city, she told the Register. Also, she thinks that Caltrans should be looking more at the north to south options than east to west.

Public transportation, she feels, is the answer. Simmons added, that "there should be more alternatives than just to go get in a car."

Open comments can be submitted through regular mail at 1750 E. Fourth Street, Santa Ana, or by emailing Caltrans at scoping@sctre.org.