Yes, more cars will be on the road when residents move into these new communities, but this is a small part of the overall picture. The city is already facing traffic issues that are certain to be aggravated by regional growth, and funding for traffic improvements is scarce.

The Irvine Company will help by providing funds to address existing traffic problems while fully mitigating the impact of additional traffic generated by the new communities east of Orange. Plans for mitigating traffic impacts take into account projections of what conditions in the area will be like in 2007, 2010 and 2025, as well as anticipated growth in enrollment at Santiago Canyon College.

Among top priority projects that might be stalled without the Transportation System Improvement Fees this project will generate are improvements needed to relieve congestion at two key intersections: Chapman Avenue/Prospect Street and Cannon Street/Santiago Canyon Road. Plans for these intersections include adding turn lanes and through lanes to improve traffic flow.

Overall, The Irvine Company will pay $41.3 million for local transportation improvements. This includes funds for widening improvements to Chapman between Jamboree Road and SR-241, widening Jamboree between Canyon View and the city of Tustin boundary, accelerating nearly $20 million in toll road interchange improvements, and $2.6 million in Transportation System Improvement Program (TSIP) fees.

The total amount also includes $4 million in supplemental funds - above and beyond what the city normally collects - for area-wide measures to address traffic-related concerns of Orange residents. The city will decide how to use these funds, but possible projects include resurfacing Chapman and Santiago Canyon to reduce noise, traffic signal synchronization along Chapman, and adding signals on Santiago Canyon between Cannon and Jamboree to slow traffic flow and make it easier for people living along Santiago Canyon Road to come and go.

The process of developing traffic solutions has involved a coordinated effort between numerous agencies, including the Orange County Transit Authority, the Transportation Corridor Agencies, Caltrans, the County of Orange and the cities of Orange, Tustin, Irvine and Anaheim. Current plans for the project also reflect extensive input from residents and community group leaders who have expressed their concerns about traffic during discussions with Irvine Company planners.

Additional Traffic Improvements

In addition to making improvements to keep traffic flowing on city streets, transportation plans for the East Orange project include measures to alleviate traffic that typically backs up near major transportation corridors. Plans include:

• Widening Santiago Canyon Road to four lanes on a more than two-mile stretch from the SR-241/SR-261 interchange to the first entrance to East Orange Area 2 near Irvine Lake.

• Relocating the SR-241 southbound Chapman/Santiago Canyon onramp easterly to better serve eastbound traffic on Chapman and westbound traffic on Santiago Canyon.

• Widening Santiago Canyon Road to six lanes between the SR-241/SR-261 interchange and the relocated southbound onramp to provide greater traffic capacity on Santiago Canyon Road.