Toll road troubles

The proposed Foothill South Toll Road through traffic-clogged South Orange County suffered a major blow today, reports The Times David Reyes:

Efforts to extend a controversial Orange County toll road through a popular state beach were dealt a critical setback when a congressional committee early today voted to eliminate legislation designed to expedite the highway’s construction. The House Armed Services Committee approved a defense bill amendment related to the Foothill South tollway, a 16-mile turnpike that would pass through south Orange County and cut through San Onofre State Beach. The amendment by Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) would overrule a 1999 decision by Congress that gave the Navy the power to grant tollway operators a 40-acre easement inside San Onofre. The popular coastal park sits on leased land within the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), a supporter of the tollway, which is in his district, was dissatisfied with Davis’ "surprise amendment," because it trivializes years of toll-road planning, he said. "I am appalled by the fact that a member of Congress, who’s not from Orange County, is trying to stop a key regional transportation project at the behest of special interest groups and in spite the project’s strong support among local elected officials," Calvert said.