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No 405 Freeway toll lanes, forum crowd tells Caltrans

Motorists travel on the 405 Freeway through Costa Mesa last year.
Motorists travel on the 405 Freeway through Costa Mesa last year.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Members of the 405 Freeway Cities Coalition and local residents made it clear to state transportation officials Thursday night that they don’t approve of adding toll lanes to a stretch of the interstate in Orange County.

More than 100 people gathered for a forum at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center to speak out against the California Department of Transportation’s proposal to replace the carpool lane in each direction with a toll option along the 14 miles of the 405 between Costa Mesa and the 605 Freeway.

In December, the Orange County Transportation Authority approved an option to add a general-purpose lane in each direction, without toll lanes. The Caltrans plan, announced in July, mirrors the proposal for an additional general-purpose lane in each direction.

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The majority of people in the room Thursday disagreed with the state’s toll-lane plan.

“No offense to Caltrans, but you guys must think we all fell off a turnip truck,” said Patty Campbell, a former mayor and current planning commissioner for Seal Beach. “These toll roads are not for us. They’re not going to benefit us. They’re going to benefit the people [commuters] from South County. There’s nothing in it for us in the corridor cities.”

That sentiment was shared by each of the coalition members, consisting of council members from Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach and Westminster.

Los Alamitos Mayor Pro Tem Richard Murphy, who manages apartment buildings, said none of his tenants would be able to afford the toll lanes.

Toll fees could cost drivers about $400 a month, or almost $5,000 annually, according to Costa Mesa Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz.

“For some of my tenants, $400 a month is the difference between eating and not eating, not eight minutes on the freeway saved here or there,” Murphy said.

Murphy did commend Caltrans District 12 Director Ryan Chamberlain and agency spokesman David Richardson for “coming down to the lion’s den” and listening to the public’s opinions of the state proposal.

Chamberlain said gridlock would still occur on the 405 even with new general-purpose lanes. Converting the carpool lanes to toll options, in addition to the free lanes, “would get people, goods and vehicles moving faster. That’s the bottom line. It’s not about generating revenue,” he said.

“It provides the best air-quality enhancements by encouraging carpooling, van pooling and transit opportunities like bus services,” he added.

However, coalition members were steadfast in favoring toll-free alternatives.

Since the county’s estimated $1.3 billion plan to widen the 405 involves demolition and reconstruction of 14 bridges, Fountain Valley Councilman John Collins suggested that two general-purpose lanes be added during that time. Public officials could later determine whether some or none of the lanes should be converted to carpool or toll, he said.

Westminster Councilwoman Diana Carey suggested adding one carpool lane and one general-purpose lane in each direction. She said the carpool lanes should be open to all commuters outside of rush hour, similar to some other freeways in the state.

“What we need here is some creative thinking,” she said. “We know this proposal has been broached by Caltrans. They’ve said that it will work. If it is truly not about the money, then they should certainly look at our proposal.”

The OCTA says it has the money to go forward with its project. The funds were collected through Measure M2, a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2006 to fund countywide transportation projects.

However, coalition members fear that Caltrans will use some of those funds or piggyback on the county’s project. The state agency cannot go through with the toll option until OCTA adds its general-purpose lanes, Munoz said.

Chamberlain said that although Caltrans doesn’t yet have funding for the estimated $400 million toll-lane proposal, it will not use Measure M money for it.

Coalition members asked the public to continue voicing opposition to toll lanes.

“This is going to be a long battle,” Murphy said. “I’m asking you all to dig in, because this is not going to be easy.”

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