The Seal Beach City Council officially opposes toll roads for the I-405 Improvement Project. The council voted unanimously Monday night, Aug. 12, to adopt a resolution opposing the toll road option for the Orange County Transportation Authority’s freeway project. The council also authorized Mayor Gary Miller to sign a letter opposing the toll road option for the project.
The freeway expansion project has the potential to impact both College Park East and College Park West.
“The City of Seal Beach has formalized its opposition to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes in the form of a Resolution of Opposition,” said the Seal Beach letter, which was addressed to Gregory T. Winterbottom, chairman of the OCTA board.
The council didn’t discuss the matter. It was a Consent Calendar item—as was everything else on the Aug. 12 agenda. There was no public comment on the issue. The council simply voted collectively on all the consent items.According to the staff report by Sean Crumby, director of Public Works and assistant city manager, the OCTA proposes three choices for expanding the freeway:
• Alternative One: add one general-purpose lane in each direction between Euclid Street and I-605
• Alternative Two: add two general-purpose lanes in each direction.
• Alternative Three: add two lanes in each direction, one of which would be a toll lane and the other a general-purpose lane.
According to Crumby’s report, two new options have been added to the choices since Caltrans released a supplemental draft environmental impact report on June 28:
Option A would convert existing carpool lanes into a “High Occupancy Toll” road in addition to two general lanes.
Option B is basically Alternative Two with one of the northbound lanes ending south of Valley View.
The general public has been generally hostile to the toll road option since last year.
Seal Beach residents and officials have other concerns, which were spelled out in an Aug. 8 letter to Smita Deshpande, Caltrans’ District 12 branch chief, including:
The freeway project could result in the relocation of the soundwall at College Park East’s Almond Avenue.
Two gas/petroleum pipelines could be relocated through College Park East.
Increased traffic along the I-405 freeway.
“The Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS does not adequately address the congestions (sic) northbound on the I-405 freeway at the county line,” the letter said.
The letter also said entrance and exit for College Park Drive should be guaranteed at the Studebaker Road off-ramp of the 22 freeway.
“In October of 2012 the City of Seal Beach completed improvements to the intersection of College Park Drive at the Studebaker Road off-ramp of the 22 Freeway,” the Aug. 8 letter said. “This project improved a longstanding problem of access.”
The letter was apparently referring to the fact that College Park West is only accessible through the city of Long Beach at the Studebaker Road intersection.
“In the development of the city project, Caltrans denied the request for a traffic signal at the intersection,” the Aug. 8 letter said. “If the OCTA is able to gain approval for a traffic signal at the intersection that ensures access for College Park Drive, the city of Seal Beach agrees with the recommendation in the Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS.”
However, the letter went on to say that if does Caltrans not approve the traffic signal, Seal Beach officials would like an upgrade to the intersection.
