Republican representatives want 241 toll road extended

U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is one of eight congressmen who asked the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to overrule the California Coastal Commission’s rejection of an extension of the 241 toll road through San Onofre State Beach.

Rohrabacher was joined by other Republican representatives including John Campbell, Darrell Issa and Duncan Hunter.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies, which build and manage Orange County toll roads, have appealed the Coastal Commission decision to the federal commerce department. A decision has yet to be made.

The congressmen argued in a statement that the commission didn’t listen to existing studies that showed the roadway could be built while protecting the local environment and state parkland.

— Michael Alexander