The Capistrano Insider

The 241 Toll Road Extension Has a Name: The Tesoro Extension

Geez, if we're going to get the traffic, shouldn't be at least get the name? The Capistrano Connection even has a nice ring ...

From the Transportation Corridor Agencies ...

Using feedback from Board Members and the community, The Toll Roads staff has worked the past few months performing technical analysis to determine the location of the southern terminus of the 241 extension project – now called the State Route 241 Tesoro Extension.

The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency’s (F/ETCA) Board of Directors voted to continue the engineering, environmental, traffic and financial analysis of the extension that will end temporarily at the future Cow Camp Road near San Juan Capistrano.  At a later date -- when the adjacent local transportation system is complete in the unincorporated area north of Ortega Highway and east of Antonio Parkway -- a permanent SR 241 interchange will be built at future “G Street.” The extension will be 4.8 miles long.

Cow Camp Road is planned to run parallel to Ortega Highway to the north of San Juan Creek and will be the area’s major east-west arterial roadway with two to three lanes in each direction. It is projected to carry more than 30,000 trips per day in 2035.  Ortega Highway will become a secondary road with one lane in each direction through the area and is estimated to carry 6,000 trips a day in 2035.

The SR 241 Tesoro Extension analysis is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2012 and construction could begin shortly thereafter. The construction cost is estimated at $200 million. The F/ETCA Board also approved a contract with Barclays Capital Inc. for development of a finance plan. Barclays has a long financial history with TCA and was instrumental in helping the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency (SJHTCA) achieve successful debt restructuring in May 2011.

Bates: Orange County Moving Ahead on New Animal Shelter

One of the complaints/concerns of local animal-rescue folks is that the Orange County Shelter, where lost pets and strays are taken, is so far away. The county is working on building a new shelter in Tustin, Fifth District Supervisor Pat Bates says.

From Bates:

New OC Animal Care Center Update

The Board of Supervisors continues to make progress on the development of a new Animal Shelter. On January 24, the Board approved an Exchange Agreement with the South Orange County Community College District (SOCCCD) for a land-swap of ten-acre parcels at the former MCAS Tustin Base. Five acres of the parcel to be received by the County, following release by the Department of Navy, has been designated as the site for a new Animal Care Center, which will replace the existing Animal Shelter currently in the City of Orange.

The planned Tustin site is centrally located in the County and easily accessible to all. OC Parks has been tasked with developing an 84-acre park directly across from the site, which will include one of the landmark blimp hangars. Conceptual plans have already been completed for the new Animal Care Center.

The County is continuing to work with the City of Tustin and SOCCCD to revise the documentation required by the Department of Navy as part of the Re-Use Process. It is hoped that a decision from the Department of Navy regarding conveyance can be obtained in late 2012 or early 2013.

Once the Department of Navy issues the decision on conveyance, construction plans will be developed and ground will be broken on the new site. Timing on construction will depend upon the actions of the Department of Navy and any requirements set forth in that action.

Previous cost estimates for the new Animal Care Center ranged from approximately $25 million to $30 million. Initial funding already has been set aside by the Board. Additionally, preliminary discussions have been initiated with an advisory group of city managers from the cities that contract with OC Animal Care regarding the balance required to complete the project, with more formal discussions on a funding agreement being initiated in the fall. Staff is also looking at other ideas for fundraising, including a non-profit fundraising effort.

Development of a new Animal Care Center is a high priority for the County and our partner contract cities. To that end, I will continue to provide updates on the progress as we move forward.