Toll Road Talk Surfaces This Week

Yellow and black door hangers calling for the completion of the 241 toll road are being distributed this week in San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. 

The fliers are arriving at homes following a mailing effort late last year to gauge residents' reasons for wanting to see the privately funded artery extended from Coto de Caza to San Clemente. 

The November mailings yielded 562 responses. Recently compiled, they show 50 percent of respondents listed congestion on the 5 freeway as "a critical concern," spokeswoman Lisa Telles said.

Transportation Corridor Agencies CEO Tom Margro will be at the breakfast networking mixer Wednesday morning at the Vintage Steakhouse to talk further about the results of those questionnaires. Although there is a cost to attend the mixer, it's open to the public.

Margro is also expected to give updates on the status of the 241 extension. Questions will also be welcome.

Telles said respondents to the November corridor agencies mailers ranked quality of life as the second biggest reason for wanting to see the toll road extended to north San Diego County, with several noting that their overall quality of life was diminished due to gridlock on the 5 freeway and traffic spillover into communities. The third most-cited concern was “safety,” specifically referring to an increase in traffic collisions when roads are crowded and drivers tend to act more aggressively.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies has been conducting community outreach  for about two years in response to the U.S. secretary of commerce's 2008 decision to uphold the California Coastal Commission's rejection of the proposed route—a six-lane road that would have stretched from Rancho Santa Margarita to Basilone Road at Camp Pendleton.

The door hangers being distributed in San Juan, San Clemente and Dana Point this week are "just another phase to build our outreach efforts," Telles said.

The secretary of commerce decision stated that alternative routes could be pursued.

RSVPs are not required to attend the chamber breakfast, but can be made by contacting Jennifer Pointer at jennifer@sanjuanchamber.com or 949-493-4700. The mixer begins at 7:30 a.m.