TCA Boards Approve Fiscal Year 2025 Budgets
The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) and San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency (SJHTCA) Boards of Directors adopted the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budgets with expenditures totaling $315.1 million — $136.8 million for the SJHTCA and $178.3 million for the F/ETCA. Key highlights within the FY25 budget include a $200 million early paydown of bond principal for SJHTCA, as well as allocated cash funds to advance three vital capital improvement projects: the 241/91 Express Connector, the 241 Loma Improvements and the 73 Catalina View Improvements. The Boards-approved projects are anticipated to be completed by 2030 or earlier.
In addition, other key budgeted initiatives include:
- Planning for replacement of operational equipment
- Safety improvements and modernization of The Toll Roads customer service center and TCA administrative office space
- Advancement of the Saddle Club preservation property site use plan, allowing public access onsite for biking and hiking
- Evaluating opportunities to utilize TCA’s $28 million Habitat Conservation Fund
- Processing partnership with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA)
The FY25 budgets reflect positive transaction and revenue trends while remaining fiscally conservative, maintaining the Agencies’ history of cost containment, incorporating FY25 activities from the Boards-approved strategic plan. The budgets are also aligned with the Agencies’ Boards-approved Debt Management Policies while meeting the fiduciary responsibility to bondholders. The approval of the budgets concludes a thorough and collaborative months-long development process where members of TCA’s committees provided input.
Austin Sand Filter Construction Retrofit Project
The Joint Boards of Directors approved a contract with Beador Construction Company in the amount of $444,300 for construction services to retrofit the Austin Vault Sand Filter project in the City of Newport Beach. The project, adjacent to the 73 Toll Road, provides filtration for stormwater treatment and allows for adequate water flows to prevent over-topping of the adjacent wetland basin.
As part of TCA’s commitment to environmental mitigation, the Boards directed staff to authorize a contract with Beador to retrofit and update the Austin Sand Filter to be effective in run-off treatment. TCA currently provides aesthetic, preventative and corrective maintenance on a routine basis. The replacement of filtration material and underlay pipe upgrade is expected to have a longevity of approximately 10 years and will ensure appropriate run-off treatment and minimize impacts to the adjacent wetland and Bonita Creek. The project is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025.
Biological Support Services
The Joint Boards of Directors approved the selection of Psomas, Land IQ LLC and Chambers Group as the benched contractors for on-call biological consulting services for a duration of 5 years with 3 option years at a total contract value of 4.3 million dollars. TCA continues to monitor, assess, and report on its approximately 2,100 acres of mitigation sites on an annual basis, and the approved firms will assist TCA in meeting its environmental and conservation goals.
Biological services include habitat assessment, biological analysis, document reviews, surveys, construction monitoring, and document preparation to support the Agencies’ capital improvement and environmental initiatives. In addition to existing permit requirements, several projects, including the implementation of the habitat conservation fund, and land mitigation and endowment transfer evaluation, are anticipated to occur over the next several years under the Agencies’ Capital Improvement Program that will require biological services.
F/ETCA Mitigation Monitoring Report
The F/ETCA Board approved the annual F/ETCA Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program status report. As part of the approvals for the construction of the Eastern Transportation Corridor (ETC) project, the F/ETCA adopted a Mitigation and Reporting Program encompassing over 300 mitigation measures. The monitoring program demonstrates the effective implementation of mitigation measures adopted as part of the certified Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
TCA recently received notice from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the Agency has met its mitigation obligations at the Limestone mitigation sites as compensation for the ETC’s riparian impacts. Staff also provided an update on the status of the two remaining mitigation measures linked to the design and construction of the ETC projects.
The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) confirmed that TCA has successfully met its obligation for three of the four undercrossing areas on the 241 Toll Road. Due to the Agency’s annual mitigation monitoring program, and with other regional agency efforts, the coastal California gnatcatcher and other native wildlife have been provided a greater opportunity for reproductive successs.
In FY25, TCA will work to continue to meet its obligations under the F/ETCA Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program and will also evaluate approaches and timing to complete and closeout the program.
