Toll Roads

Drivers will be able to pay tolls with cash and eventually credit and ATM cards under a proposal by the county's toll-road agency. A committee of the Transportation Corridor Agencies recommended this week spending $410,000 to buy four machines that would accept cash and give change and receipts in one step. Eventually, the machines also would accept credit and debit cards. If the board approves the proposal at its Sept. 20 meeting, the machines could be installed as soon as January for a 60-day trial period, officials said.

The Foothill South toll-road project isn't as dead as its opponents would like. The original, unacceptable proposal, which would have routed part of the 16-mile superhighway through the narrow length of a popular state park just south of Orange County, was rejected by the California Coastal Commission. But theTransportation Corridor Agencies are now considering a puzzling new proposal to build the first 4 miles of the project while they try to figure out the rest of the route the road would take.

Officials broke ground on what will be Los Angeles County's first freeway toll lanes, taking a gamble that drivers will be willing to pay significant sums to avoid rush-hour traffic. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other officials on Wednesday hailed the project as a major improvement to L.A.'s clogged freeway system. Officials plan to convert a total of 25 miles of existing carpool lanes on the 10 and 110 freeways into high-occupancy toll lanes. Carpools and buses will be able to use the lanes for free, while solo drivers will pay up to $1.40 a mile during peak rush-hour traffic.

Each time Stephanie Hatch drives from her home in South Orange County to San Diego, she takes a deep sigh. Hatch of Trabuco Canyon avoids taking her toddler son south — despite attractions such as Sea World and the zoo — for one reason: traffic. The last time she drove that way was last spring. But if there were an alternative to the 5 Freeway, she said, that would change. "You think, 'Oh gosh, this would be so much nicer if we had the toll road,'" she said. Hatch is referring to an extension of the 241 Toll Road, which has been discussed for years but is vehemently opposed by environmentalists, among others.

To renew her vehicle registration, Pamela Mathews Avery of Riverside County said she cleared up $346 in unpaid tolls for using the 91 Express Lanes. Nevertheless, the Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the tollway, says that she still owes $47,850 in penalties. Ruth Arlene Murray, 72, of San Bernardino County faces more than $70,000 in fines for failing to pay $504 in tolls to the Transportation Corridor Agencies, another turnpike operator.

Orange County's 51-mile network of toll roads, once hailed as a model in solving Southern California's traffic woes, is experiencing drops in ridership as commuters opt for more time on the freeway instead of paying tolls that can exceed $7.75 per trip at peak hours. The economic malaise has prompted transportation officials to resort to contests to lure new users. But for Christina Muscat and other drivers, money is tight, and it's a hard sell. She used to shave about 20 minutes off her commute from Rancho Santa Margarita to Westminster by using the toll roads; now she chooses the system only if she's in a hurry.

Re "Clinton Offers Plan for Tolls on Interstates," March 13: Just as I suspected. The bridge to the future is a toll bridge. RON YORKE Reseda

Drivers of electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles enjoy a special perk: They can drive solo in California's carpool lanes. But under a controversial plan proposed by local traffic agencies, those drivers will have to pay to use two heavily used carpool lanes that are being converted to toll roads. It has riled electric-car shoppers and alternative-fuel-vehicle advocates who worry that this is the first step in chipping away at a California tradition of letting solo drivers of autos with new technology and low emissions onto carpool lanes.

Officials broke ground on what will be Los Angeles County's first freeway toll lanes, taking a gamble that drivers will be willing to pay significant sums to avoid rush-hour traffic. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other officials on Wednesday hailed the project as a major improvement to L.A.'s clogged freeway system. Officials plan to convert a total of 25 miles of existing carpool lanes on the 10 and 110 freeways into high-occupancy toll lanes. Carpools and buses will be able to use the lanes for free, while solo drivers will pay up to $1.40 a mile during peak rush-hour traffic.

A former Newport Beach fire official accused of racking up $26,000 in unpaid toll road fees while using a city vehicle has sued the city for alleged discrimination and retaliation against an injured worker, court records show. Paul Matheis, a former divisional fire chief, filed a lawsuit May 25 in Orange County Superior Court against the city of Newport Beach, alleging that the city began to retaliate against him after a shoulder accident that required time off in 2009. "You're talking about a 30-year veteran with an outstanding record here," said Wylie Aitken, an attorney representing Matheis.

Drivers on the San Joaquin Hills toll road through western Orange County could be paying tolls for an extra six years under a proposed agreement that would restructure about $430 million of its $2.1 billion in debt. The agreement is asking bondholders to lower payments for 13 years and restructure the way the agency pays interest on certain bonds. An agreement, which would push back the bond maturity dates by six years, to 2042, is expected in two weeks. "Basically … what we're trying to do is be proactive about the way we manage finances here at the agency," said Tom Margro, chief executive of the Transportation Corridor Agencies, which also operates the Foothill and Eastern toll roads, which includes a portion of the 133 Freeway.

Checking out state workers' salaries Re "State turns up more big salaries," Feb. 2 So California state Controller John Chiang has demanded salary information from nearly 900 local government entities. The report is part of Chiang's effort to document the compensation of all government officials and employees in the state. I would hope that this will include state employees in general, and University of California and California State University administrators in particular.

Orange County's 51-mile network of toll roads, once hailed as a model in solving Southern California's traffic woes, is experiencing drops in ridership as commuters opt for more time on the freeway instead of paying tolls that can exceed $7.75 per trip at peak hours. The economic malaise has prompted transportation officials to resort to contests to lure new users. But for Christina Muscat and other drivers, money is tight, and it's a hard sell. She used to shave about 20 minutes off her commute from Rancho Santa Margarita to Westminster by using the toll roads; now she chooses the system only if she's in a hurry.

In a pending court settlement that could affect thousands of motorists, two Orange County toll road agencies have agreed to forgive more than $40 million in fines and pay $1.4 million to a group of drivers who alleged that they were charged excessive penalties for unpaid tolls. The proposed settlement involves the Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the 91 Express Lanes on the 91 Freeway, and the Irvine-based Transportation Corridor Agencies, the operator of a 51-mile network of tollways comprising the Eastern, the Foothill and the San Joaquin Hills.