130240
. (a) "Transit" means as defined in Section 40005.
(b) (1) The Orange County Transportation Authority may acquire,
construct, develop, lease, jointly develop, own, operate, maintain,
control, use, jointly use, or dispose of rights-of-way, rail lines,
monorails, guideways, buslines, stations, platforms, switches, yards,
terminals, parking lots, air rights, land rights, development
rights, entrances and exits, and any and all other facilities for,
incidental to, necessary for, or convenient for transit service,
including, but not limited to, facilities and structures physically
or functionally related to transit service, within or partly without
the county, underground, upon, or above the ground and under, upon or
over public streets, highways, bridges, or other public ways or
waterways, together with all physical structures necessary for,
incidental to, or convenient for the access of persons and vehicles
thereto, and may acquire, lease, sell, or otherwise contract with
respect to any interest in or rights to the use or joint use of any
or all of the foregoing. However, installations on state freeways are
subject to the approval of the Department of Transportation and
installations in other state highways are subject to Article 2
(commencing with Section 670) of Chapter 3 of Division 1 of the
Streets and Highways Code.
(2) With respect to the segment of State Highway Route 91 between
State Highway Route 15 and State Highway Route 55 only, the Orange
County Transportation Authority may exercise all of the powers
contained in paragraph (1) that apply to streets, highways, bridges,
and connector roads.
(3) The exercise of the powers provided to the Orange County
Transportation Authority in paragraph (2) is subject to approval by
the Board of Supervisors of Riverside County and the Riverside County
Transportation Commission and in consultation with the advisory
committee described in Section 130245 as it relates to the use of
those powers in Riverside County under the terms of the franchise
agreement described in subdivision (c).
(c) If the Orange County Transportation Authority requests, the
department shall approve the assignment to the Orange County
Transportation Authority of the Amended and Restated Development
Franchise Agreement, as amended, between the department and the
California Private Transportation Company, L.P. (CPTC) for the State
Highway Route 91 median improvements as authorized by Section 143 of
the Streets and Highways Code, subject to the requirement that
subdivisions (a) to (f), inclusive, of Section 2 of Article 3 of the
restated franchise agreement be deleted in their entirety in the
event that CPTC and the authority agree to the assignment of all of
CPTC's interests in the franchise agreement to the authority.
(d) The Orange County Transportation Authority shall have the
authority to impose tolls for use of the State Highway Route 91
facilities as authorized by the franchise agreement.
(e) (1) Toll revenues from the use of State Highway Route 91
facilities between State Highway Route 55 and the Orange and
Riverside County line shall only be used by the Orange County
Transportation Authority for the following expenditures relative to
the State Highway Route 91 express lanes and for the purposes of
paragraph (2):
(A) Capital, operations, and maintenance, including, but not
limited to, toll collection and enforcement.
(B) Repair and rehabilitation.
(C) Payment of purchase costs, debt service, and satisfaction of
other covenants and obligations related to indebtedness.
(D) Reserves.
(E) Administration, which shall not exceed 3 percent of toll
revenues and associated facility revenues.
(2) Excess toll revenues beyond the expenditure needs of paragraph
(1) may be expended for the following purposes:
(A) To enhance transit service designed to reduce traffic
congestion on State Highway Route 91 or to expand travel options
along the State Highway Route 91 corridor. Revenues expended under
this subparagraph may be used to maintain the enhanced transit
service. Eligible expenditures include, but are not limited to,
transit operating assistance, the acquisition of transit vehicles,
improvements to commuter rail traveling between Riverside and Orange
Counties, and those transit capital improvements otherwise eligible
to be funded under the State Transportation Improvement Program
pursuant to Section 164 of the Streets and Highways Code.
(B) To make operational or capacity improvements designed to
reduce congestion or improve the flow of traffic on State Highway
Route 91. Eligible expenditures may include any phase of project
delivery to make capital improvements to onramps, connector roads,
roadways, bridges, or other structures that are related to the tolled
and nontolled facilities on State Highway Route 91 between State
Highway Route 57 to the west and the Orange and Riverside county line
to the east.
(3) The Orange County Transportation Authority, in consultation
with the department and the Riverside County Transportation
Commission, shall issue a plan and a proposed completion schedule for
transportation improvements in the State Highway Route 91 corridor.
The Orange County Transportation Authority shall update the plan on
an annual basis.
(f) The Orange County Transportation Authority may incur
indebtedness and obligations, and may issue bonds, refund bonds, and
assume existing bonds for purposes authorized by this section.
Indebtedness and bonds issued under this section do not constitute a
debt or liability of the state or any other public agency, other than
the authority, or a pledge of the faith and credit of the state or
any other public agency, other than the authority. Bonds issued under
this section shall not be deemed to constitute a debt or liability
of the state or any political subdivision thereof, other than the
bank and the authority, or a pledge of the faith and credit of the
state or of any political subdivision, but shall be payable solely
from the revenues and assets pledged to the repayment of the bonds.
All bonds issued under this section shall contain on the face of the
bond a statement to the same effect.
(g) Notwithstanding Section 143 of the Streets and Highways Code,
the State Highway Route 91 facility constructed and operated under
the authority of a franchise agreement approved pursuant to that
section shall revert to the state at the expiration of the lease or
termination of the franchise agreement at no cost to the state. Upon
reversion, the facility shall be delivered to the department in a
condition that meets the performance and maintenance standards
established by the department.
(h) The Orange County Transportation Authority shall not impose
tolls for the use of nor construct and operate State Highway Route 91
facilities in the County of Riverside without prior approval by the
Board of Supervisors of the County of Riverside, the Riverside County
Transportation Commission, and the advisory committee.
(i) The Orange County Transportation Authority shall not sell or
assign its interest in the franchise agreement without approval by
the Legislature by enactment of a statute provided that approval
shall not be required in connection with granting rights and remedies
to lenders under Article 16 of the restated franchise agreement.
(j) If the Orange County Transportation Authority decides to sell
or assign its interest in the franchise agreement, the Orange County
Transportation Authority shall provide written notice at least 90
days in advance of the date they submit their request for approval by
the department pursuant to this subdivision. The written notice
shall be provided to the advisory committee created pursuant to
Section 130245 and to the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
(k) The Orange County Transportation Authority shall be authorized
to eliminate its rights, interests, and obligations relative to
State Highway Route 91 in Riverside County, either by partial
assignment to the Riverside County Transportation Commission, or by
amendment to the restated franchise agreement, as amended. In the
event of a partial assignment or amendment, the department shall
consent and the term of the restated franchise agreement, as amended
by the partial assignment or amendment, shall be extended to a date
determined by the authority, which date shall be no later than
December 31, 2065.
(l) If the Riverside County Transportation Commission constructs
and operates toll facilities on State Highway Route 91 between the
Orange County border and State Highway Route 15, then it is the
intent of the Legislature that the Riverside County Transportation
Commission and the Orange County Transportation Authority enter into
an agreement providing for the coordination of the respective toll
facilities operated by each entity on State Highway Route 91.