Opponents to the completion of the 241 Toll Road have long claimed that building this 16 mile roadway would impact the waves at Trestles. Of course, they offer no science to back up those claims, but couch their warning by saying that as long as we are unsure of the impacts, nothing should be done.
Problem is, scientific studies show that the 241 completion will not impact the waves or the water quality at Trestles. Dave Skelly, a coastal engineer (and one of the founding members of Surfrider) studied the impact of the 241 on Trestles and concluded that the waves will continue to roll in just like they've always done, even if the 241 connects to the I-5 a half-mile away.
Picking up where the previous post left off, here's a another, longer-range shot of San Mateo Creek from Trestles to the I-5, followed by my attempt to zoom in on the beach campground right next to the 5 freeway, where 90% of San Onofre State Beach visitors go.
And here's a shot of Camp Pendleton base housing, the security of which one anon commenter claims the completed 241 would place in jeopardy. You can glimpse Interstate 5 in the foreground.
The final segment is our flight inland along the proposed alignment (known as the "Green" alignment). This is where is it helpful to have watched the TCA simulation, since I pan away from the route in order to give a broader perspective on what's in the surrounding area that 241 completion opponents like to puff up as a latter-day Garden of Eden.
At about the :58 second mark, you'll see a housing tract in the upper left and a power station in the lower right. The 241 route will thread that particular needle. At the 2:11 mark you'll see Ortega Highway on the left. At about the 2:40 mark, we're coming up on Tesoro High School in the upper left, with the current terminus of the 241 ahead.
As readers know, I am strongly in favor of completing the 241 Foothill South toll road. It has been planned and studied for 20 years and is a needed addition to he regional transportation network. I don't expect hard-core 241 opponents to change their minds, but it is clear to me completing the 241 isn't going to destroy anything. It's another road through countryside that looks like every other part of Orange County. It's nice, but let's face it -- it ain't Yosemite. When the road is completed, people will continue to enjoy San Onofre State Beach as they have for decades.
I had the opportunity last Thursday to tag along on a helicopter tour of the proposed 241 route given to Rep. Ken Calvert and Assemblyman Van Tran by the Transportation Corridor Agencies. I was asked by Assemblyman Tran's office if I wanted to join the tour. As someone who has been interested in this issue for quite some time, I jumped at the opportunity to get a birds-eye view of the controversial proposed route and get some footage with the Red County UnSteadiCam (apologies in advance for the shaky nature of the footage. I was juggling operating the UnSteadiCam and a still camera).
Also on board, in addition to Calvert, Tran and yours truly, were two TCA staffers, David Lowe and I have momentarily forgotten the other staffer's name (apologies). And, of course, Evan the pilot.
The helicopter took off from Signature Flight Support at John Wayne Airport and headed off to the coast. We paralleled the beach at an altitude of a few hundred feet down to Trestles, where were circled for a few minutes while the pilot secured clearance from Camp Pendleton to proceed inland.
Since I lack computer graphics skills, readers might want to also sample this simulated fly-over video from TCA. It gives a more precise view of the alignment for mental comparison when watching the footage I took:
In this first segment, you'll see fabled Trestles (the railroad crossing above the lovely algae covered pond), followed by footage of the section of Interstate 5 where the 241 would connect with the freeway. You can also see San Mateo Creek, which American Rivers ranks as the Second Most Endangered River in these United States: "...San Mateo Creek supports world-class surfing and provides irreplaceable habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife." That's right -- apparently the presence of water is no longer necessary to be classified as a river, let alone provide a home for "a variety of fish." If you watch the YouTube video on the American Rivers, you'd think there was actually free-flowing creek in the state park, rather than a gulch that is dry 99% of the year.
The dusty field you see just beyond the I-5 is agricultural land the Marines have been leasing out. It stands between the San Mateo campground and base housing.
In this next segment was shot during a another pass over Tresles, up the creek toward the future 241/I-5 connection, followed by more footage of the agricultural parcel and an attempted zoom-in on the San Mateo Campground at the end.
If you believe the hysteria emanating from the Surfrider Foundation and other 241 completion opponents, you could be forgiven for thinking the 241 actually touches the beach. As you can see from the video, that isn't remotely the case.
It's pretty standard in politics to send observers to an opponent's press event, and yesterday's pro-241 toll road completion press conference was no exception.
Here's video I shot with the UnsteadiCam of the enviro video guy and his comrades:
As I left the press conference, he handed me what he called a "goodie bag": a plain brown lunch bag containing a press release, an 8-oz bottle of Arrowhead drinking water and a small tube of Banana Boat 30 SPF sunblock ("UltraSweatproof" - thanks!). There was also a Nutrigrain Cranberry, Raisin & Peanut Fruit & Nut Bar.
Yesterday I accompanied Rep. Ken Calvert and Assemblyman Van Tran a helicopter tour of the proposed completion route for the 241 Foothill South toll road. I'll post about the helo tour shortly, but in the meantime here is video of the press conference held afterward with Corona Councilman Jeff Miller:
Pat Brennan over at Total Buzz posted this exhaustive account of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ranting about the apocalyptic consequences of completing the 241 tollroad and his environmentalism uber alles philosophy in general. I hope he arrived at the event via bicycle -- or at least drove an electric car.
Judging from the extremist rhetoric, I think ole' Bobby Jr. has seen Soylent Green one too many times -- talked with his cousin Bobby Shriver one too many times. Or both.
The San Diego Business Journal's Editor-In-Chief Tom York blasted Foothill-South opponents for using lies and deception to delay the completion of the 241 Toll Road. He specifically refers to the talking point used by project opponents that connecting the 241 to the I-5 will result in the "loss of the Trestles' surf break" and other outright lies that have no basis in reality. It's good to finally see a journalist say, "the emperor has no clothes" and asking these activists to back up their indefensible claims that make good soundbites, but are simply untrue.
Eco-Extremists Have Made Proposed Foothill South Toll Road 10-Year Drive to ‘Nowheresville’
Editor’s Notebook — Tom York
North County drivers heading to and from Orange County on Interstate 5 are the forgotten motorists during weekday traffic updates.
They are neither here nor there when it comes to media attention … but the commute is growing in size, as anyone who has traveled the route at the most popular hours of the day can attest.
I picked this off the OC Business CouncilIndicator that just came over the transom:
Toll Road Supporters, Please Sign Here The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) has created a page on The Toll Roads and Foothill-South websites that includes the names of individuals who support completing the 241 Toll Road to San Clemente. TCA is also planning a publication in the near future that will additionally include names of Foothill-South supporters.
Add your name to the list of toll road supporters today by emailing authorization to use your name and city of residence to pines@thetollroads.com. For more information contact the TCA's Sheldon Pines at 949.754.3489.
Red County/Riverside blogpen member Phil Paule posted about the AD71 GOP primary this week, specifically about candidate Neil Blais, a Rancho Santa Margarita councilman and generally considered one of the front-runners in the race:
At the Riverside County Republican Party meeting this Thursday (tonight) Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor is the guest speaker. In the spirit of being green this would be a great opportunity for some of the Orange County candidates for the 71st Assembly District like Neil Blais to car pool out to the Mission Inn and meet real Riverside Republicans.
Readers may have seen Rep. Loretta Sanchez's letter to the editor in today's OC Register, responding to OCBC President Lucy Dunn's spot-on May 11 editorial about how Sanchez betrayed Orange County by ensuring Rep. Susan Davis' 241-killing amendment would pass the House Armed Services Committee.
It's a classic "I'm just..." defense. In this case, Loretta claims she's "just" ensuring the completion of the 241 tollroad will comply with state law -- pointing to the nominal purpose of the amendment while refusing to admit to its real purpose. But that's a red herring.
