A California Coastal Commission staff report urging rejection of a proposed toll road through San Onofre State Beach is being criticized by Orange County's tollway agency.
In a 22-page rebuttal, the Irvine-based Transportation Corridor Agencies calls it an "inaccurate and one-sided" report that mischaracterized the Foothill South project.
The proposed 16-mile extension of the Foothill tollway would allow motorists to bypass often-congested Interstate 5 in south Orange County.
The commission report recommended denial of the project's certification, which is a necessary step toward securing state and federal development permits. Commissioners consider the proposal at its meeting Feb. 6-8 in San Diego.
