Get-Moving OC Forum #2 Results

The I5 Bottle-Neck Problem Depicted for Toll-Road Solution

Orange County expects another 400,000 inhabitants between now and the year 2035. During that time the Orange County Transportation Authority will administer $14.8 Billion in Measure M funding to alleviate traffic congestion but the delay times are still projected to increase 64% if nothing more is done. Fortunately the Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) that brought us the 241 and 73 Toll Roads have begun a rigorous program of public uptake to determine 1) if I5 has a congestion problem, 2) if a community consensus can be found 3) who holds the keys to gain community support for making infrastructure "improvements".  In Public Forum #2  held 5 October 2016 the TCA in collaboration with Caltrans and OCTA (Orange County Transit Authority) revealed 14 Ideas for road infrastructure projects, consisting mainly of Toll Roads and widening of existing roads. The following are highlights of the TCA plan.

Special Consultant Conclusions:

1. A community-wide agreement on I5 solution is unlikely
2. There is a high level of agreement that I5 has a congestion problem
3. Due to 1. elected officials are perceived as the most appropriate persons to develop (I5) solutions

What the 14 Ideas (roadway modifications in the map) show

• The single modality considered for moving people is automobiles
• The single requirement for improving transport is car delay time (LOS)
• The single performance criteria for improvement is reducing delay time
• Among the roads modified is Ortega Highway 74 as 4-lanes
• Idea #7 widens 133 Laguna Canyon Road and arterial highways
• Toll-Road costs start at $100 million per mile 
• Average reduction in delay time is a meaningless 1-5 percent.

-LS