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Section 130244 Of Article 2. Contracts From California Public Utilities Code >> Division 12. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 2.

130244
. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
  (1) "Authority" means the Orange County Transportation Authority.
  (2) "Bonds" means bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness authorized to be issued pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (c).
  (3) "Commission" means the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
  (4) "Department" means the Department of Transportation.
  (5) "Franchise agreement" means the franchise agreement assigned to the authority pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 130240.
  (6) "Transportation facilities" means one or more of the following on State Highway Route 91 between the Orange and Riverside County line to the west and State Highway Route 15 to the east: (A) general purpose toll lanes; (B) lanes or facilities where the tolls may be levied and may vary according to levels of congestion anticipated or experienced or according to the occupancy of the vehicle; and (C) facilities or lanes utilizing combinations of or variations on (A) or (B), or other strategies the commission may determine appropriate on a facility-by-facility basis.
  (7) "Transportation project" means the planning, design, development, financing, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, improvement, acquisition, lease, operation, or maintenance, or any combination of these, with respect to tolled and nontolled facilities, structures, onramps, connector roads, bridges, and roadways that are on, necessary for, or related to the construction or operation of State Highway Route 91 between the Orange and Riverside County line to the west and State Highway Route 15 to the east.
  (b) Pursuant to subdivision (l) of Section 130240, the authority may amend, assign, or terminate the Riverside County portion of the franchise agreement in the interest of advancing the transportation project described in paragraph (7) of subdivision (a). The department, upon request of the authority, shall approve an amendment to the franchise agreement to eliminate any portion of State Highway Route 91 within Riverside County from the franchise agreement.
  (c) (1) The commission shall have the authority to set, levy, and collect tolls, user fees, or other similar charges payable for use of the transportation facilities, and any other incidental or related fees or charges, in amounts as required for the following expenditures relative to the transportation facilities as defined in paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) and for purposes of paragraph (2):
  (A) Capital outlay, including the costs of design, construction, right-of-way acquisition, and utility adjustment.
  (B) Operations and maintenance, including, but not limited to, toll collection and enforcement.
  (C) Repair and rehabilitation.
  (D) Indebtedness incurred, including related financing costs.
  (E) Reserves.
  (F) 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 the Orange and Riverside county line to the west and State Highway Route 15 to the east.
  (3) The commission, in consultation with the authority and the department, shall issue a plan of transportation improvements for the State Highway Route 91 corridor, which shall include projected costs, the use of toll revenues, and a proposed completion schedule. This plan shall be updated annually. The plan and each annual update shall be made available for public review and comment no less than 30 days prior to adoption by the commission.
  (4) The commission is authorized to issue bonds to finance the costs of the transportation project, including the costs of issuing the bonds and paying credit enhancement and other fees related to the bonds, which bonds are payable from the tolls authorized pursuant to paragraph (1), sales tax revenues, development impact fees, federal grant funds, or any other source of revenues available to the commission that may be used for these purposes. The bonds may be sold pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in a resolution adopted by the governing board of the commission. Bonds shall be issued pursuant to a resolution adopted by a two-thirds vote of the commission. Any bond issued pursuant to this paragraph shall contain on its face a statement to the following effect: