Today, the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency Chair Fred Minagar (Laguna Niguel) and Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency Chairwoman Christina Shea (Irvine) issued letters opposing AB 1273 (PDF) (Opens in a new window) :

“The Joint SJHTCA and F/ETCA Boards of Directors voted at the April 11 Joint Boards of Directors meeting to adopt an opposition position on Assembly Bill 1273 by Assembly Member Bill Brough, which proposes to strip the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) of its ability to continue improving traffic flow on State Routes 73, 133, 241 and 261.

For more than 20 years, TCA has been a public agency that has successfully planned, financed, and constructed 51 miles of state highways without the use of tax dollars. We have invested $4 billion in the planning, design and construction of more than 20 percent of the County’s highway system.

We respect and acknowledge the discussion at the April 11 Boards of Directors meeting and appreciate the Boards’ opposition of AB 1273, which would bring to a halt more than $3 billion in planned TCA projects and injects chaos into Orange County’s ability to maintain and improve its highway system.

Orange County’s Toll Roads are often the only congestion-free options to get home to family or make it on time to early morning appointments. We sincerely appreciate our 325,000 daily drivers and 1.5 million accountholders who see and experience the value of time savings by driving The Toll Roads.

Both Boards have issued a letter to the Assembly Local Government Committee members and Chair Cecilia Aguiar-Curry informing them of the SJHTCA and F/ETCA Boards’ vote to oppose AB 1273.

We strongly urge the Assembly Local Government Committee members to vote down AB 1273 on April 24. We must preserve local control so that Orange County can continue to make its own decisions regarding transportation infrastructure and the planning, designing and construction of roads that improve the quality of life for people throughout the Southern California region.”

The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) are two joint powers authorities formed by the California legislature in 1986 to plan, finance, construct and operate Orange County’s public toll road system. Fifty-one miles of the system are complete, including the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads. TCA continues to meet the region’s growing need for congestion-free transportation alternatives.