Letter: TCA Should be Abolished, Toll Roads Freed

TCA Should be Abolished, Toll Roads Freed

Orange County taxpayers need a break. The TCA is a for-profit agency. But they have yet to be able to do that, even after accepting a bailout of over $1 billion dollars from OC taxpayers.

The money we all work hard for should have gone back into the community, not used to bailout a company that now has quadrupled that debt in a very short period of time. TCA has refinanced their bonds and owe well over $4 billion. The tolls roads should have been free by now but, due to lack of ridership and mismanagement, taxpayers are now on the hook until 2053 (let’s be real, at this rate, they will never fulfill their promise if we don’t stop the insanity).

The extension of the 241 and addition of four managed toll lanes (which is outside of their purview to design) through South OC is about nothing more than greed. The CEO makes over $400,000 a year and just received a 6 percent retroactive pay raise. Those who don’t use the toll roads still pay for them as Caltrans (your tax dollars) maintain them. The roads you do use are falling into disrepair as Caltrans has a noncompete with TCA expecting the freeways will get bad enough in areas to force people to take the toll roads. We are being scammed.

It appears the TCA has already illegally worked on the 241 Extension—bypassing and ignoring property lines and environmental impact issues. It has been shown by multiple independent studies their extension will only cause worse traffic issues as it bottlenecks from PCH to the San Diego County line. I am at a loss how anyone would actually think that something that will cost taxpayers billions while destroying open space, wildlife habitats, watersheds, people’s homes, people’s businesses (loss of jobs) all while being built on unstable ground (there is a current landslide right where they are proposing) is in any way a good idea. Abolish the TCA; free our roads.

Kristy Trenary, San Clemente