OCTA Director and I-405 Policy Working Group Chairman John Moorlach and OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson lead policy discussion on proposals for widening the San Diego Freeway (I-405) with 36 people, including OCTA Director and Seal Beach Mayor Gary Miller and OCTA Director and Garden Grove Councilman Steve Jones.
Orange County transportation leaders, public works directors, city representatives and local elected officials joined OCTA leaders and project representatives Wednesday, June 26 for a healthy discussion on the next steps in the San Diego Freeway (I-405) Improvement Project.
The approximately 36 representatives in the project area participated in a policy working group meeting about the major improvement project that would help increase traffic flow between Euclid Street and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605) along one of the most congested freeways in Orange County.
"We want to make sure we provide good, thorough information so that we can make an informed decision that is transparent and accountable to our taxpayers," OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson said. "We have to learn about the project, learn about the history and learn about the concerns."
OCTA Project Manager Niall Barrett provided an overview of the improvement project that focused on the latest steps in the plan to widen the I-405 freeway.
This includes the circulation of a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIR / EIS) that provides new traffic information in the Long Beach area.
Beginning Friday, June 28, members of the public may review the new Supplemental document online, at Caltrans or at libraries in the project area and provide their comments during a 45-day circulation period through Aug. 12.
Stakeholders and community members also will have an opportunity to comment at a public hearing in July 24.
The policy group posed questions and shared comments about the project and engaged in a discussion of the issues surround the build alternatives, including the potential decision under consideration to add high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and toll lanes to the freeway as part of the project.
OCTA will host its next policy working group meeting later this summer and will then present the findings of the Supplemental DEIR / EIS to its board of directors in September 2013.
For more information about the project, please visit octa.net/405improvement.
