Fiscal Year 2019 Budgets Approved
The Boards of Directors of the San Joaquin Hills (SJHTCA) and Foothill/Eastern (F/ETCA) Transportation Corridor Agencies approved Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) budgets totaling $342.8 million – $140.7 million for SJHTCA and $202.1 million for F/ETCA. The approved combined budgets fund operations and debt service issued to build The Toll Roads, enhance customer service and advance initiatives and capital improvement projects for the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads.
The FY19 budgets are reflective of The Toll Roads’ continued year-over-year ridership and revenue growth and contributions to the Agencies’ healthy reserves. The FY19 budgets will provide funding for construction of the Oso Parkway Bridge, initiating a formal environmental review of traffic relief options for South Orange County, planning for improved customer service and operations with the transition to 6C tolling technology and streamlining customer account options for all 1.2 million accountholders.
F/ETCA Board Re-Elects Chair and Vice Chair For FY19
The F/ETCA Board of Directors re-elected Director Ed Sachs (Mission Viejo) and Christina Shea (Irvine) as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively, for FY19. Both F/ETCA and SJHTCA Boards also adopted a regular meeting schedule for August 2018 through August 2019. F/ETCA and SJHTCA regular meetings will continue to be held simultaneously every month at
9:30 a.m. in the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) board room.
Third Year of Marketing Services Contract with DB&M Media Approved
The Boards of Directors approved the third year of the current marketing campaign with DB&M Media, a full-service advertising and promotion firm based in Costa Mesa. The FY19 general marketing plan will continue the current “Enjoy the Drive” campaign targeting commuters in Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles counties and will support the launch of new sticker tags to pay tolls and the account simplification initiative through a series of short educational videos. The TCA utilize marketing services to reinforce the value of driving The Toll Roads to current accountholders, promote FasTrak® and ExpressAccount® sign ups, and reach out to visitors and tourists to build awareness about paying online with the One-Time-Toll® payment option. DB&M Media will continue to provide the Agencies with specialized strategic planning, creative and design services, advertising production, and planning and procurement of media.
Boards Adopt FY19 Capital Improvement Plan
Juliet Su, Corridor Design Manager, presented an overview of the FY19 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and highlighted capital improvement projects that have been constructed since The Toll Roads originally opened. To date, 17 capital projects have been completed to improve mobility, including:
- Constructing on- and off-ramps to and from the north at Glenwood/Pacific Park Drive on the 73 Toll Road
- Widening nearly six miles of the northbound 73 Toll Road by adding a fourth lane
- Widening the north and southbound 133 Toll Road from I-5 Freeway to the 241 Toll Road
- Widening the Windy Ridge Mainline Toll Point by adding a third lane
- Adding a second lane to the Santa Margarita Parkway on-ramp at the 241 Toll Road to accommodate high peak-hour traffic volumes
The CIP details the scope, cost and schedule of capital projects planned on the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads. The Boards of Directors adopted the FY19 CIP which includes constructing the Oso Parkway bridge, update signs throughout The Toll Roads’ system, efforts related to the 241/91 Express Connector and South Orange County Traffic Relief and two traffic studies for proposed interchanges along the 133 and 241 Toll Roads. The CIP is updated annually to reflect the status of each project and any changes to costs and schedules.
Plans and Contracts For FY19 Initiatives Approved
The F/ETCA and SJHTCA met on June 14 for the last Board meeting of FY18. Along with approving the FY19 budgets, the Boards of Directors also voted to approve the following:
- Design/program management and specialty consulting services
- Hispanic community outreach and Spanish language translation services
- Network security assessment
- Payment card industry qualified security assessor audit services
- SCNG Sponsored content
- State and federal legislative advocacy services
- Strategic planning consulting services
May 2018 Traffic and Revenue
Compared to May 2017, F/ETCA transactions increased and SJHTCA slightly decreased. Transactions decreased by 0.3 percent and revenue increased by 3.3 percent for the 73 Toll Road. On the 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads, transactions increased by 0.5 percent and revenue increased by 4.2 percent.
