California State Route 241

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For the former (unconstructed) Route 241, see California State Route 241 (1964-1965).

State Route 241

Foothill Toll Road, Eastern Toll Road
Defined by S&HC § 541, maintained by TCA

Length:

23 mi^[1] (37.015 km)

Formed:

1993

South end:

Oso Pkwy. in Rancho Santa Margarita

Major
junctions:

SR 133 in Irvine

SR 261 near Tustin

North end:

SR 91 in Yorba Linda

State highways in California (list - pre-1964)
County routes in California (list)
< SR 238		SR 242 >
History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 241 is a highway in Orange County, California, USA. For its entire run, Route 241 is a toll road. Its northern half is part of the Eastern Toll Road while its southern half is part of the Foothill Toll Road.

The highway currently runs from Rancho Santa Margarita to Yorba Linda. Route 241 connects with State Route 133, State Route 261, and State Route 91.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System^[2].

1 Foothill Toll Road
2 Future aspirations: Foothill-South expansion
- 2.1 Expansion Controversy
  - 2.1.1 Environment
  - 2.1.2 Traffic
3 Exit list
4 References
5 External links
- 5.1 Foothill-South

[edit] Foothill Toll Road

State Route 241 northbound in rural Orange County, California.

Major cities Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs
Rancho Santa Margarita (southbound) Lake Forest Irvine (southbound) Riverside (northbound; via SR 91)

The Foothill Toll Road (also called The Foothill Transportation Corridor) is a 12-mile tollway in Orange County. Signed as State Route 241, it travels parallel to Interstate 5, connecting the Eastern Toll Road (at the State Route 133/State Route 241 interchange) outside of Irvine with Oso Parkway near Mission Viejo.

The toll road is maintained by Transportation Corridor Agencies, also known as the TCA, and is financed with tax-exempt bonds on a stand-alone basis -- taxpayers are not responsible for repaying any debt if toll revenues fall short.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Future aspirations: Foothill-South expansion

The neutrality of this section is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.(February 2008)
Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

This article contains information about a planned or expected future road.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

Foothill-South was planned as the last segment of the road, and the final piece in Orange County's planned 67-mile network of public toll roads. It has been the subject of regional planning efforts for the more than 20 years.

The extension would provide an alternate route to Interstate 5 for those traveling from Riverside, Corona and southeast Orange County to points southward as well as those traveling from North San Diego County northward. Proponents of the project, including a coalition of chambers of commerce, argue it would provide greater access for communities such as Foothill Ranch, Rancho Santa Margarita, Las Flores, Coto de Caza, Wagon Wheel and the future Rancho Mission Viejo. The TCA Board of Directors, local elected officials who represent the areas adjacent to the toll road routes, certified the project's Environmental Impact Report in 2006.

The route was selected by a collaborative group that included the Federal Highway Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Fish & Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers and Caltrans.

[edit] Expansion Controversy

The route would extend the toll road to connect to Interstate 5 at the San Diego County line near San Onofre, where the TCA projects traffic to increase 60 percent by 2025. The final four miles of the roadway would be located on Camp Pendleton Marine Base. The road would go through a section of the San Onofre State Park, which is leased from the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps reserved the right to grant easements for rights of way when the lease with the California Department of Parks and Recreation was signed in 1971.

On February 6th, 2008, the California Coastal Commission voted 8-2^[3] to reject a 16-mile southern segment of the 241, Foothill-South, which was planned for the Foothill Toll Road. The TCA appealed the Coastal Commission's decision to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

[edit] Environment

The neutrality of this section is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.(February 2008)
Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

The extension is opposed by many conservationists, environmental groups, and residents of San Clemente. Former California Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed two lawsuits in 2006, one on behalf of the Native American Heritage Commission. A third lawsuit was filed by a coalition of such groups as Sierra Club, the Surfrider Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, and others. ^[4]

One area of concern for those opposed is how well the project will avoid Native American sites in the area, such as the ancient Acjachemen village of Panhe. The TCA asserts it will avoid these sites, however this is disputed by opponents. The road as conceived would bridge over San Mateo Creek as the existing Interstate 5, old Highway 1 and train tracks currently do.

Opponents of the proposed extension are also concerned about possible damage to water quality, and the disruption of wave quality at Trestles, a world famous surfing spot.^[5] In response, the TCA claims that mitigation techniques will eliminate any negative effect on water quaility, and that the proposed detention basins will in addition capture runoff from a two-mile portion of the I-5 which is currently untreated. Studies have determined that there will be no effect on wave quality at Trestles. The independence of all these studies is in dispute.^[who?]

[edit] Traffic

The project's opponents also contend that the expansion would not provide significant rush-hour traffic relief as it does not connect the communities of southeast Orange County to any major job centers. In addition, opponents claim that the expansion would draw a portion of its traffic from the further-inland Interstate 15, which generally does not suffer from significant congestion. The Orange County Transportation Authority supports the Foothill-South project.

Another concern of the project's opponents is the non-compete clause which the TCA has signed with the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans. The clause requires Caltrans to compensate the TCA for lost revenue caused by highway improvements which might compete with the tollways, thereby reducing toll revenue. The clause expires in 2020. Opponents of the expansion argue that the non-compete clause makes improvements to Interstate 5 highly unlikely until at least 2020.^[6] In response to this, the TCA claims that traffic removed from the I-5 by the addition of Foothill-South will reduce congestion on the I-5 without the need for additional upgrades. Additionally, the non-compete clause does not apply to any improvements which have already been specified by the OCTA in Measure M transportation funds.

The TCA estimates that by 2025, Foothill-South would carry 58,000 vehicles per day.^[7] This would represent about 13% of the estimated 460,000 cars per day on the I-5 by that time.^[8]

As an alternative to Foothill-South, opponents generally argue that transportation dollars should be spent on a major upgrade to Interstate 5, and on improving mass transit in the area, such as the existing Metrolink line which terminates at Oceanside.^[who?]

[edit] Exit list

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage.

The entire route is in Orange County.

Location	Postmile ^[1]^[9]^[10]	#^[11]	Destinations	Notes
	14.55	14	Oso Parkway	At-grade intersection
Rancho Santa Margarita	17.77	18	Antonio Parkway
	18.49	19	Santa Margarita Parkway
	20.08	20	Los Alisos Boulevard
Lake Forest	21.80	22A	Portola Parkway	Signed as exit 22 northbound
	22.5	22B	Lake Forest Drive	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	23.42	23	Alton Parkway
Irvine	24.97	25	Portola Parkway – Irvine
		Tomato Springs toll plaza
	27.38	27	SR 133 south (Eastern Toll Road) to I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway)
	32.54	33	Santiago Canyon Road, Chapman Avenue (CR S18 / CR S25)
	32.7	32	SR 261 south – Irvine	No northbound exit
	36.10	Windy Ridge toll plaza
Yorba Linda	39.08	39	SR 91 (Riverside Freeway) – Riverside, Los Angeles	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 39A (east) and 39B (west)