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Rancho Ortega Blog discusses matters of public interest in South Orange County, including the communities of San Juan Capistrano, Ladera Ranch and Rancho Mission Viejo.

The writings of Don Juan Ortega on the Rancho Ortega Blog are the personal views of the author. This blog is not authored by nor does it have any affiliation whatsoever with any other person, place or entity using the name "Rancho Ortega" (or any similar name).

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http://www.ranchoortega.com/blog/archives/4569

Toll Road Fares Increase Today

Remember, toll fares on the South County toll roads increased today. From the Patch:

The rates will increase by one to five cents for FasTrak customers on the 133, 241 and 261 toll roads, and by four to 60 cents on the 73 toll road, depending on the location and time of travel.

http://www.ranchoortega.com/blog/archives/4350

OCTA Seeking Comments on its Draft Long Range Transportation Plan at Public Meeting Tonight

There is a ton of construction going on in South County right now. For the next few years, South County residents will need to deal with construction on I-5 at Avenida Pico, Ortega Highway and El Toro just for starters. We will also watch as the Rancho Mission Viejo transportation infrastructure is built out over [...]

http://www.ranchoortega.com/blog/archives/4281

Cash Tolls on the Toll Roads will End May 14

If you’ve driven any of our local toll roads recently, you are aware of (or perhaps confused about) the changes coming to TCA toll collection. On May 14, drivers will no longer have an option to pay cash at toll booths. According to the toll road agency:

On May 14 at 12:01 a.m., we will [...]

http://www.ranchoortega.com/blog/archives/3117

Public Hearing on I-5/El Toro Widening Project

For anyone interested, OCTA has scheduled a public hearing tomorrow on the plan to widen the I-5 freeway from El Toro Road to the 73. The hearing will be held in Mission Viejo from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center at 24932 Veterans Way. More information is [...]

http://www.ranchoortega.com/blog/archives/3056

Are the Toll Roads Headed for Bankruptcy?

Are the Toll Roads headed for bankruptcy? A Bloomberg article, citing a California Treasury commission report, warns that the Transportation Corridor Agency may “eventually” become unable to meet its debt service if it is unable to refinance.

The Foothill-Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, which operates 39 miles (63 kilometers) of toll highways in Orange County, risks [...]

http://www.ranchoortega.com/blog/archives/1953

Pacific Research Institute Study Questions the Financial Viability of the Toll Roads

The poor toll road! It is being whip-sawed back and forth this week. First, on Tuesday it received good news in the form of $8.3M in funding from the Orange County Board of Supervisors and OCTA for construction of Cow Camp Road to an interchange with the proposed 241 Tesoro Extension. Today, however, a research [...]

http://www.ranchoortega.com/blog/archives/1750

73 Freeway Makes a Cameo in New Hangover 3 Trailer

Remember when Caltrans closes the 73 freeway for two days in October to allow crews to film for the upcoming Hangover 3 movie? Audiences are getting a sneak peak at the results in the recently released trailer for the movie, embedded below.

The freeway clip begins at the 1:34 mark.

“My name is Alan, [...]

http://www.ranchoortega.com/blog/archives/1393

A Summary of the I-5/Avenida Pico Project and a Glimpse at Future South County Transportation Improvement Projects

While San Juan Capistrano and surrounding communities prepare for “Carmageddon” in the form of the Ortega/I-5 interchange project, Caltrans and OCTA have several other major South County transportation improvement projects in the works. While some are substantial projects in their own right, the good news is that none of them pose the same risk of [...]