South County’s transportation future solidified through OCTA’s joint agreement

A cooperative agreement was approved by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Orange County and the city of San Clemente, Calif., to support a trio of south Orange County transportation projects that will meet near-term congestion relief needs while minimizing impacts on local communities.

“Being able to bring key players to the table and create a blueprint for addressing community concerns and developing local solutions to improve mobility in South County is a win-win for everyone involved,” said Orange County Supervisor and OCTA Director Lisa Bartlett, who led the collaborative effort to find an agreement. “Residents can rest easy knowing what the future holds for transportation projects and planning efforts in the city of San Clemente’s backyard and throughout the region.”

This cooperative agreement follows more than two decades of discussions regarding the proposed toll road extension through protected open space in both San Mateo State Park, near San Onofre State Beach and the city of San Clemente. Significant efforts to finally resolve the issue emerged in the past two years with the involvement and leadership of State Sen. Pat Bates (R-13) and Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, OCTA, City of San Clemente and County of Orange.

“For decades, residents in San Clemente have spoken loud and clear about the importance of preserving our open space and protecting the character of our community,” said San Clemente Mayor Kathy Ward. “Thanks to this agreement, we can finally focus on common-sense traffic solutions to ensure our city and our neighboring cities remain desirable places to live, work and visit.”

“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,” added Sen. Bates. “Therefore, I am happy to withdraw Senate Bills 760 and 761, which were the impetus for regional leaders to come together to author this cooperative agreement.”

As previously approved, the near-term projects spelled out in the agreement to improve South County mobility 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.

OCTA, Transportation Corridor Agencies and Caltrans agreed on those three projects in March 2020, in lieu of extending the SR-241 Toll Road. The approach supports protection of previously approved conservation easements and protected lands within San Clemente, is consistent with OCTA’s commitment to follow a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive planning process that provides all partner agencies and stakeholders opportunities to engage and provide input.

Reaffirming the commitment to those projects, the agreement was approved by OCTA on Oct. 11 and by the county and city at their meetings on Oct. 5. In part, the agreement states the Orange County and OCTA “will not build, support or authorize a new major thoroughfare in the city in an area that is subject to a conservation easement or is protected as open space under a local initiative.”

Additionally, the agencies agreed that OCTA, as the state-designated County Transportation Commission, will work with stakeholders to plan any necessary long-term improvements.