The Board of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has issued a Draft Supplemental EIR/EIS on the I-405 Improvement Project (not to be confused with the current West County Connector Project).
The Board of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has issued a Draft Supplemental EIR/EIS on the I-405 Improvement Project (not to be confused with the current West County Connector Project).
Late last year, the OCTA Board selected a Preferred Alternative 1 to the project, which calls for one additional lane each way on the I-405. Alternatives 2 and 3 called for additional lanes including a toll lane.
In June of this year, a newly constituted OCTA Board (10 new members) released a Draft Supplemental EIR/EIS in response to concerns expressed by the City of Long Beach regarding traffic impacts to on/off ramps and residential streets resulting from the I-405 Improvement Project. That document includes two new options called Concepts A and B that ostensibly repackage Alternatives 2 and 3.
As a result, the Rossmoor Community Services District Board of Directors had planned to conduct a public workshop on August 13 in the Rush Park Auditorium located at 3001 Blume Dr. in Rossmoor. The reason for the workshop is to better inform the public about the possibility of resurrecting HOV or toll lanes to the project.
The I-405 corridor communities previously made their case against toll lanes to the former OCTA Board regarding the impacts of traffic noise and pollution from bottleneck traffic at the I-405/I-605/SR-22 interchange, due to a lack of additional capacity at the Los Angeles County line. Although Alternative 1 remains as the preferred alternative, the OCTA could adopt Concepts A or B when they issue a record of decision later this year by selecting a modified Alternative 2 or 3 in 2015.
The district only became aware of this new development at their July 9 board meeting. Their next board meeting is August 13, the day after the EIR/EIS comment period ends. As a result, the district requested an extension of the comment period so that Rossmoor residents could make their sentiments known and made a part of the EIS/EIR record. That request was denied by Caltrans.
The district board conducted a special meeting to consider a resolution opposing any change to the I-405 Improvement Project that would include toll lanes. Board President Michael Maynard said of the resolution, “The insensitivity of Caltrans and by extension, the motives of the OCTA Board of Directors to ‘bait and switch’ their position on HOT lanes does not pass the smell test. I encourage all residents of Rossmoor and neighboring communities to make their comments known to OCTA/Caltrans before the August 12 deadline”. Comments may be submitted to Smita Deshpande, Branch Chief Caltrans-District 12, Attn: 405 SDERI-DEIS Comment Period at 2201 Dupont Drive, Suite 200, Irvine, CA 92612. Comments may also be sent via email at 405.Supplemental.Draft.EIR.EIS@parsons.com
Residents may also sign the petition in support of Rossmoor Community Services District Resolution No.13-07-22-01 online at Change.org.
