Orange County Panel OKs $11.6-Billion Traffic Plan

A 20-year, $11.6-billion traffic improvement and growth management plan won unanimous approval Monday from the Orange County Transportation Commission.

Ratification of the plan, which is expected, now must come from a majority of the county Board of Supervisors and a majority of city council members in the county’s 28 cities. Once the plan is ratified, the Transportation Commission will be empowered under state law to ask voters for approval of a countywide half-cent sales tax to help finance the plan.

Some regional studies show that rush-hour traffic delays are now worse in Orange County than in Los Angeles. Orange is the only California urban county without a half-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects. County voters soundly rejected a 1-cent transportation sales tax in 1984.

The plan, which would earmark funds for widening Orange County freeways and establishing new commuter rail service, would be financed partly with the $3.1 billion raised by the half-cent sales tax.

About $8.5 billion would come from state, federal and local funds that are expected to be available during the next two decades.

Key funding would include:

- $550 million for doubling the width of the Santa Ana Freeway from six lanes to 12 lanes between the San Gabriel River Freeway and the San Diego Freeway. Also, funds for improving the intersection of the San Diego and Santa Ana freeways, and for adding 140 miles of car-pool lanes to existing freeways.

- $450 million for street and road maintenance and improvements.

- More than $400 million for rail projects, including two more trains between Los Angeles and various stops in Orange County, and establishing of rail service between Riverside and Irvine.

Some transportation officials say that full implementation of the 20-year plan could reduce traffic congestion to 1983-84 levels or better.

The Transportation Commission, acting in its capacity as the Local Transportation Authority, was required by state law to draw up a 20-year plan before seeking voter approval of a transit sales tax.