Over 6000 people crowded a hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds to listen to opponents and proponents of the 241 toll-road extension. The issue was settled by the California Coastal Commission, a resounding NO!, but this heated battle is far from over. It's now the Federal Governments chance to get involved in yet another local issue. The Transportation Corridor Agencies which tout themselves as stand alone agencies, while using our tax dollars to maintain the roads, appealed the Coastal Commission decision to the Federal Commerce Department. This public hearing was to listen to the arguments from both sides, but is anyone listening.
A recent poll found that most Orange County residents would favor an easy access to the beach and San Diego, even if they infringed on that beach to make the road. The Coastal Commission, The Surfrider Foundation, Sierra Club, and the majority of the residents in San Clemente that the toll road encroaches upon, fiercely oppose the extension. One bystander was heard to say "If the government wants the road, then put it right through the middle of Camp Pendleton!" The experts are quick to point out that there is very little impact on the beach and wildlife areas.
The opponents to this issue wish to save the precious natural land south of San Clemente, and an iconic surfing beach named Trestles. The cry for the last few years has been SAVE TRESTLES! Trestles is a hard to access surf spot just south of the old Nixon estate on Cottons point in San Clemente and just north of USMC Camp Pendleton. It is not a huge stretch of beach, and it is a long walk that hundreds of people make everyday, just to go surfing, but having been there many times, it is worth saving.
The Toll Road issue is a complex issue. Orange County and San Diego County face a traffic problem in the near future. A solution must be found quickly. The 241 is the final stage of construction for an over two decade old toll road project. The residents of Orange and San Diego Counties favor the project 2 to 1, but the will not have to live with the repercussions of their decisions.
I for one would like to find an alternative to building the toll-road anywhere near the state beach. The Coastal Commission has denied many a project for less intrusive reasons. Do you think its fair to override the agency put in charge of protecting California's coastal lands.
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