The Orange County Transportation Authority has announced changes to plans for the expansion of the 405 Freeway.
One of those changes could “potentially” eliminate the need to move the soundwall between Seal Beach’s College Park East and the freeway.
These changes appear to be the agency’s response to public comments about the available options for adding lanes to the San Diego Freeway.
The OCTA has reported receiving 1,200 official letters and e-mails on the project during the public comment period. Those letters include recent letters from Seal Beach and other cities objecting to a proposed toll lane on the freeway. Seal Beach officials have also objected to plans that would require relocation of a soundwall that is seen as detrimental to the residents of the city’s College Park East neighborhood.
There are three construction alternatives for the I-405 project.
• Alternative 1: add a general purpose lane in each direction from Euclid Street to the I-605 interchange.
• Alternative 2: add two general purpose lanes in each direction.
• Alternative three: add one general purpose lane in each direction and add a toll lane in each direction.
Changes being considered
Acording to a press release issued Saturday, Aug. 18, the OCTA and CalTrans officials are considering “potentially avoiding” the relocation of Seal Beach soundwall separating the freeway from the College Park East neighborhood.
Moving the wall could severely restrict access to homes on Almond Avenue.
The soundwall removal could be avoided through variations in designs for the expansion project, according to the the OC Transportation Authority.
Other proposed changes to expansion plans would include:
• Reducing impacts to Wesminster parking by changing the project design
• Reconfiguring the interchange at Magnolia Avenue and Warner Avenue to prevent the acquisition (by eminent domain) of four Fountain Valley businesses.
• Truncating the toll lanes proposed for Alternative 3 north of Fairview Avenue so the Fairview Bridge won’t have to be rebuilt.
The OCTA will choose the preferred alternative for the construction project on Sept. 24.
CalTrans will select its preferred alternative on an unspecified date in the fall of this year.
The environmental impact report will be finalized in April 2013.
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