Orange County Transportation Authority

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"OCTA" redirects here. For other uses, see Octa (disambiguation).
This article is about the bus system in Southern California. For the bus system in Orange County, New York, see Transit Orange.

Orange County Transportation Authority

Headquarters in Orange, California
Commission overview
Formed1991 (1991)
JurisdictionGovernment of Orange County, California
Headquarters550 S Main Street, Orange, California
Employees1,378 (2021)
Annual budgetUS$1.3 billion (FY 2021–22)
Commission executives
  • Darrell E. Johnson, CEO
  • Jennifer L. Bergener, Deputy CEO and COO
Websiteocta.net

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the

Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for the transportation system in the county, including freeway expansions, express lane management, bus and rail transit operation, and commuter rail
funding and oversight.

OCTA was founded in 1991 through the consolidation of seven separate transportation agencies by the California State Legislature and is governed by a 17-member Board of Directors with the Caltrans District Director serving in a non-voting capacity. The Authority's administrative offices are located in Orange, California.

History

OCTD busses in the 1980s

OCTA's predecessor agency, the Orange County Transit District, was created in August 1972 by a referendum of county voters. It originally started as Santa Ana Transit, a small transit agency with five bus routes operating in Orange County. Santa Ana Transit later merged with other, smaller agencies throughout the county, eventually leading to the formation of OCTD. The routing system was formed over the course of about 15 years and was held in place until the merge to OCTA.

In 1991, OCTA was created under state law, combining the seven separate Orange County agencies that managed transportation planning: Orange County Transportation Commission, Orange County Transit District, Consolidated Transportation Services Agency, Orange County Local Transportation Authority, Orange County Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies, Orange County Congestion Management Agency, and Orange County Service Authority for Abandoned Vehicles.

Park-and-ride facilities, public transportation and other transportation related administrative offices merged into one organization. OCTA administers funds from Measure M (also known as OC Go), a half-cent transportation sales tax. Measure M was originally passed in 1990 and renewed in 2006. It has paid for the expansion on most freeways within Orange County, street improvements and repairs, traffic signal synchronization, and increased Metrolink service.[1]

In 1995, OCTA suffered tremendously during the Orange County bankruptcy and never fully recovered. The agency lost $202 million in revenue over 17 years due to the bankruptcy.[2] As a result, bus service was reduced.

In October 2015, OCTA rebranded its bus services as "OC Bus" and launched the OC Bus 360° plan, which aims to consolidate routes into more frequent service and increase ridership. OCTA also plans to replace 40% of its bus fleet with compressed natural gas-powered vehicles.[3][4][5] The change was approved by the OCTA board on February 22, 2016.[6]

In January 2022, OCTA debuted battery-electric buses.

Bus operations

OC Bus on Route 29A at Buena Park station
Main article: OC Bus

OCTA operates 52 bus routes under the

Long Beach
.

The longest is route 1 (

San Clemente) which utilizes Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1) for the vast majority of its 40-mile (64 km) route, with trips taking an average of 2 to 2.5 hours. South Coast Plaza
is the most served location with five OC Bus routes (55, 57, 86, 150 and Bravo! 553).

OCTA also operates six routes under the iShuttle (Irvine Shuttle) brand, serving the cities of

Tustin. These buses have a different paint scheme and fare structure, but still accept OC Bus passes. These routes connect to Irvine Transportation Center and Tustin station, and have schedules timed to give passengers a smooth transfer to/from Metrolink and Amtrak
trains.

Rail operations

Commuter rail

See also: Orange County Line, Inland Empire–Orange County Line, and 91/Perris Valley Line

The OCTA began funding rail operations with the Orange County Commuter, which

Los Angeles Union Station and San Juan Capistrano with stops in Commerce, Fullerton, Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana and Irvine.[7] After being tasked by the California Senate to create a joint commuter rail program with other local authorities, the OCTA became a founding member of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority
, which later adopted the brand name Metrolink.

The Orange County Commuter was subsequently transferred to Metrolink, becoming the Orange County Line. With the Metrolink takeover in 1994, the southern terminus moved to Oceanside and five infill stations were added:[8] San Clemente and Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs in 1995,[9][10] Tustin and Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo in 2002,[11][12] and Buena Park in 2007.[13] Starting in 2005, OCTA has funded greatly expanded service on the Orange County Line, with trains now running twenty hours daily, seven days a week, as often as every 30 minutes. Additional platforms were added at the Fullerton and Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo stations to accommodate the additional trains.

Metrolink's Inland Empire–Orange County Line began operations in October 1995 between Riverside and Irvine; it was the first suburb-to-suburb commuter rail in the U.S. at the time.[14] The line was later extended and now operates between San Bernardino and Oceanside.

Metrolink also added a third line through Orange County on May 6, 2002, the 91 Line, later renamed the

Moreno Valley and Perris–South station in Perris.[17][18]

OC Streetcar

Main article: OC Streetcar

As of 2016, OCTA is collaborating with the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove to build the OC Streetcar, a 4.15-mile (6.68 km), 12-station light rail line along Santa Ana Boulevard and 4th Street in the two cities, using portions of the

street running track on Santa Ana Boulevard into Downtown Santa Ana, where it would reach the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center at its eastern terminus.[19] In February 2016, $125 million towards the project was included in the proposed United States federal budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year.[20] OCTA began construction in 2018 and plans to open the project in 2025.[21][22][23][24]

Cancelled CenterLine light rail

Original 1999 proposed route for CenterLine from Fullerton to Irvine. Later, a truncated "starter line" from Santa Ana to Irvine was proposed

The CenterLine was a proposed 9.3-mile (15 km)

Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana and Costa Mesa. The route would have served destinations including John Wayne Airport, South Coast Metro, South Coast Plaza, Santa Ana College and downtown Santa Ana.[25]

While OCTA secured funding through Measure M, lack of support from Orange County's congressional representatives resulted in no federal funds obtained for the proposed transit line. In February 2005, the CenterLine was suspended indefinitely, and in May 2005, the plan was officially scrapped in favor of expanding express bus service throughout Orange County and improving existing Metrolink commuter rail service.[23]

Highway and road operations

OCTA is responsible for the Countywide Master Highway Plan, which designates major arterial streets in the county, however, most road maintenance responsibilities fall with the city where the street operates in, or with the county, in the case of unincorporated areas. OCTA street funding is steered towards roadways on the Master Plan in recognition of their role in regional travel.

Recent projects

West County Connectors: In June 2010, OCTA broke ground on the West County Connectors project. The $328 million project is Orange County's largest stimulus project and one of the biggest construction jobs in nearly a decade. It added a 6-mile

Long Beach
.

Riverside Freeway (SR-91): This project added a new eastbound lane between the SR-241 in Orange County and the SR-71 in Riverside County, widening bridges and building new retaining and sound walls in an attempt to reduce traffic noise.

This was the first project in a series of capacity expansions planned for the SR-91. The second project added a new lane in each direction from the SR-55 to SR-241. The third project added a new westbound lane from SR-57 to Interstate 5. The project was completed in 2015.

Orange Freeway (SR-57): Work began in the summer of 2011 on the SR-57 to add a new northbound lane from Orangethorpe Avenue to Lambert. The project was completed in early 2014. Another project, which added a new northbound lane from Katella Avenue to Lincoln Avenue, got underway in early 2012 and was completed by late 2014.

I-5 Gateway Project: Construction began in spring 2006 on the

Los Angeles County
line. The I-5 Gateway project is the final link in the original Measure M's freeway expansion program. The project was completed in 2010.

In addition to freeway capacity expansions, OCTA is in the midst of the most comprehensive rail safety program in the nation that includes a public awareness program regarding safety near the tracks and implementing safety enhancements at more than 50 railroad crossings throughout the county.

The safety enhancements scheduled for completion in 2011 include:

  • Upgrades to warning devices in place to advise drivers of train tracks ahead
  • Additional gate arms to prevent drivers and pedestrians from crossing the tracks when the gates are lowered and a train is passing
  • Extended and raised medians to deter drivers from passing around lowered gates
  • Coordinated local traffic signals to prevent vehicles from stalling on the tracks

91 and 405 Express Lanes

OCTA owns and operates the

91 Express Lanes and the 405 Express Lanes, two high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane
facilities in the county.

OCTA purchased the 91 Express Lanes in 2003 from the California Private Transportation Corporation. Opening in 1995, the four-lane express lanes run in the median of the Riverside Freeway (SR-91) between the Interstate 15 and the Costa Mesa Freeway (SR-55). OCTA purchased the 91 Express Lanes without taxpayer money and removed a "non-compete" clause that prevented safety improvements and traffic capacity expansions along the stretch of tollway. In July 2003, OCTA adopted a toll policy for the 91 Express Lanes based on the concept of congestion management pricing, which is designed to optimize traffic flow at free-flow speeds. The policy calls for dropping and raising tolls based on traffic demand. Traffic volumes are monitored daily and adjusted quarterly.

The 405 Express Lanes between SR-73 and the I-605/SR-22 interchange near the Los Angeles County line opened in December 2023.

The other tollways in Orange County (SR-241, SR-261, and parts of SR-73 and SR-133) are governed by the Transportation Corridor Agencies.

Governance

OCTA is a joint powers authority governed by a board of directors with 18 members, 17 of whom are voting members.[26] The Board is composed of:

  • Five Orange County Supervisors
  • Five city council members or mayors, one from each supervisorial district, elected by the Orange County City Selection Committee, by district, on a population-weighted vote
  • Five city council members or mayors, one from each supervisorial district, elected by the Orange County City Selection Committee, by district, on a one city/one vote basis
  • Two public members appointed by majority vote of the other 15 voting members
  • One non-voting member, the
    Caltrans
    District 12 Director

Board of Directors

The current members of the OCTA Board include:[27]

Chair

Vice Chair

  • Jamey Federico, Dana Point city council member and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 5 cities

Board Members

  • Valerie Amezcua, Santa Ana mayor member and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 2 cities
  • Jon Dumitru, Orange city council member district 2 and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 2 cities
  • Katrina Foley, Orange County Supervisor, District 5
  • Patrick Harper, Fountain Valley city council member (at large) and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 1 cities
  • Michael Hennessey, Public Member
  • Fred Jung, Fullerton council member district 1 and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 4 cities
  • Stephanie Klopfenstein, Garden Grove mayor and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 1 cities
  • Carlos Leon, Anaheim council member district 2 and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 4 cities
  • Vicente Sarmiento, Orange County Supervisor, District 2
  • John Stephens, Costa Mesa mayor and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 5 cities
  • Mark Tettemer, Lake Forest mayor and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 3 cities
  • Donald Wagner, Orange County Supervisor, District 3
  • Janet Nguyen, Orange County Supervisor, District 1
  • Mike Carroll, Irvine city council member district 4 and appointee of Orange County City Selection Committee District 3 cities
  • Tam Nguyen, Public Member


Non-voting Board Members

  • Lan Zhou,
    Caltrans
     District 12 Director

Environmental mitigation

An 84-acre (34 ha) restoration project of the 300-acre (120 ha) Bee Flat Canyon site was done by Irvine Ranch Conservancy in partnership with OCTA as part of meeting the agency’s mitigation requirements to offset the damage it does to the environment. The project was deemed a success in 2020 by the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[28]

See also

  • List of OCTA Routes

Notes

References

  1. ^ Orange County Transportation Authority. Octa.net. Retrieved on September 6, 2013.
  2. ^ California State Auditor, Summary of Report No. 95121, 2/96 Retrieved on September 12, 2016
  3. ^ "Move over, OCTA Bus – Here Comes OC Bus". Orange County On the Move. Orange County Transportation Authority. October 6, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  4. ^ "New Bus Design Set to Hit OC Streets" (Press release). Orange County Transportation Authority. June 23, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  5. ^ "OCTA Seeks Input on Proposed Bus System Changes" (Press release). Orange County Transportation Authority. November 23, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  6. Orange County Register
    . Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  7. ^ "National Timetable". The Museum of Railway Timetables. Amtrak. October 31, 1993. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  8. Newspapers.com
    .
  9. Newspapers.com
    .
  10. Newspapers.com
    .
  11. Newspapers.com
    .
  12. ISSN 0458-3035
    . Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  13. ^ Reyes, David (September 5, 2007). "Metrolink's Buena Park station opens for business". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  14. ^ Summary, "Metrolink Collection 41.DPGTL", Online Archive of California
  15. Newspapers.com
    .
  16. ^ "Metrolink Introduces 91 Line Weekend Service". Metrolink. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  17. ^ Sheridan, Tom (May 11, 2016). "METROLINK: Perris Valley Line set to open June 6 (UPDATE)". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  18. ^ Sheridan, Tom (June 6, 2016). "TRANSPORTATION: Perris Valley Line rolls out right on schedule". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  19. ^ Marroquin, Art & Pimentel, Joseph (March 3, 2016). "Anaheim releases proposed map for streetcar that would link ARTIC to Disneyland". The Orange County Register. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  20. ^ Kwong, Jessica (February 9, 2016). "OC Streetcar light-rail project for Santa Ana and Garden Grove makes Obama's budget". The Orange County Register. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  21. Orange County Transit Authority
    . September 17, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  22. ^ Gonzales, Ron (June 24, 2012). "Proposed streetcar would connect Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove". The Orange County Register. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  23. ^ a b Weikel, Dan (May 12, 2015). "Rail could make a comeback in O.C. with proposed streetcar line". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  24. ^ "OC And Federal Officials Celebrate Groundbreaking For Streetcar Project". KCAL9. November 30, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  25. ^ Reyes, David (October 15, 2005). "Rail's Loss, Cities' Gain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  26. ^ "California Code Section PUC 130052". California Legislative Information.
  27. ^ "2023 Board Members". Orange County Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  28. ^ Brazil, Ben (August 6, 2020). "'You can just sense the life that's out there': Important habitat restored by Irvine Ranch Conservancy". Daily Pilot. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 6, 2020.

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