Trio Of South County Transportation Projects On The Horizon

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — Three heavily-discussed transportation projects designed to meet congestion relief needs in south Orange County are underway, the City of San Clemente announced Monday. The trio of projects were recently approved under a Cooperative Agreement made between the Orange County Transportation Authority, the County of Orange and the City of San Clemente.

The agreement was approved by OCTA on Oct. 11, and according to a news release, the approach supports protection of previously approved conservation easements and protected lands within San Clemente.

The Cooperative Agreement comes after more than two decades of dialogue regarding a proposed toll road extension through protected open space in both San Mateo Park — near San Onofre State Beach — and the City of San Clemente.

According to the statement, the transportation projects will meet community needs while minimizing impacts on the south county community itself.

The projects coming soon to south county include:

• Construction of the Los Patrones Parkway Extension as a non-tolled county arterial from its current terminus at Cow Camp Road to Avenida La Pata in San Clemente.
• OCTA’s and Caltrans’ efforts to complete high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane improvements on Interstate 5 between Avenida Pico and the San Diego County Line.
• The Ortega Highway (SR-74) widening in San Juan Capistrano from two lanes to four lanes between Calle Entradero and the city/county border.

The efforts to address the county's traffic struggles were spearheaded by Senator Pat Bates (R-Laguna Niguel), Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, OCTA, the City of San Clemente and the County of Orange.

“I am heartened to see the spirit of cooperation in Orange County that has allowed transportation leaders to come together to address the environmental concerns of residents and local businesses, and create an agreement for the future of mobility in South Orange County,” Bates said in the news release.