SANTA ANA – Orange County Transportation Authority staffers fearful of increased congestion on the 91 freeway and the adjacent 91 Express Lanes want 241 toll road leaders to pump the brakes on plans for a $180 million ramp linking the 241 and the Express Lanes.

And an executive committee, comprised of seven OCTA board members, on Monday backed that opposition, preferring that the Transportation Corridor Agencies, which manages the 241, to defer any work on the planned connector.

Leaders of the Riverside County Transportation Commission have raised similar concerns about the elaborate ramp increasing traffic and congestion.

“We are very concerned about the impact the project will have on (91) corridor travelers who have borne construction delays as well as increasing traffic volume in the corridor,” that agency’s executive director, Anne Mayer, wrote in a recent letter to 241 toll leaders.

The project would create a clear shot from the 241, which runs between south and north Orange County along its eastern side, to the 91 Express Lanes that roll along the middle of the 91 freeway into Riverside County, bypassing typical freeway traffic the entire route for those willing to pay tolls.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies touts the 241/91 connector as a way to decrease congestion, create greater efficiency for toll lanes, and improve safety.

Now, rush-hour commuters willing to pay tolls between the Inland Empire and central and south Orange County must make a choice: take the 91 Express Lanes and pass by the 241, or slog though the 91’s congestion to take the 241.

OCTA staffers say that the proposed connector would lure more motorists into what is already an extremely congested traffic corridor.

They worry that the project could result in a chaotic mix of 241 toll road drivers merging onto the 91 Express Lanes, and drivers in the Express Lanes preparing to exit at the county line for the 91 freeway while at the same time others are jumping onto the Express Lanes.

The 91 Express Lanes is 10 miles long in Orange County, with the only exits and entrances at each end – near the 55 freeway and the county line. From there, it runs another eight miles in Riverside County to the I-15.

Tolls for taking the entire 18-mile 91 Express Lanes range from $3.45 on off-hours to up to $15.70 during the one-hour peak commuter time, eastbound at 3-4 p.m. Friday. The toll for taking the entire 241 at the lowest price is $6.63. The connector would have an additional toll, according to the TCA.

“You have a limited number of lanes on the 91 between the 241 and the 71 (freeway), and now we are going to introduce more traffic into that?” said Kia Mortazavi, the OCTA’s executive director of planning. “You create another on-ramp. It is already congested today, and it could get more congested.”

On Monday, the elected officials that make up the OCTA Executive Committee determined that plans for the connector need to be halted for now while various agencies – including Caltrans and the Riverside County Transportation Commission – work something out.

“I see value in the project, but timing is everything,” Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said. “I think we need to look at the bigger picture and long term. … We need to get everybody on the same page before we move this project forward.”

Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson, who along with Bartlett sits on both the OCTA’s and the 241 toll road’s boards, urged toll road administrators to step back and let county transportation officials with Orange County and Riverside take the lead on lessening congestion on the 91.

“We need to stop having the outside forces demanding the timing be a certain way, the answers a certain way,” Nelson said of the 241 toll road’s staff. “The right answer, right now, is to let the regional agencies talk to Caltrans and figure this out.”

Michael Kraman, the TCA’s chief executive officer, told the OCTA’s Executive Committee that staffers at his agency have reached out to their colleagues at the other local transportation agencies. He added that the TCA is still collecting data.

“I think it’s more important than ever that we continue work, so we can get good data, good options, to you,” Kraman said. “91 corridor congestion relief is good for all of us.”

Approached after the meeting, Kraman declined to talk about the project or the concerns raised by the OCTA’s Executive Committee.

On Dec. 11, the OCTA’s full 17-member board is set to vote on the project. The Executive Committee needs just two more votes from the full panel to win a recommendation against the Toll Road Agencies’ plan.

OCTA staffers prefer its agency works with the Riverside County Transportation Commission to study congestion-relief solutions on the 91, rather than moving now on the connector.

John Standiford, spokesman for the Riverside County Transportation Commission, said the agency wants to ensure that any project has a positive impact on traffic.

“We should probably take a holistic view of the entire (91) corridor rather than looking at it on a project-by-project basis,” he said.

It isn’t clear if the OCTA could halt the connector by itself if 241 toll road officials pushed on to build it.

“If the full OCTA board follows the unanimous recommendation made by the OCTA Executive Committee, we think it sends the clear message that the 241/91 connector project needs to be put on pause,” said Eric Carpenter, an OCTA spokesman.

“The Riverside County Transportation Commission has raised similar concerns,” he said. “We have a strong working relationship with TCA and would hope that they respect that recommendation.”

Each of the two county transportation agencies owns and operates the 91 Express Lanes in their respective areas.

Caltrans, which serves as owner and operator of state freeways, has approved the draft environmental plan for the connector, said Caltrans spokeswoman Lindsey Hart. The agency is still analyzing traffic data and public comments about the connector to “determine the potential traffic benefits of the project,” she added.

The TCA was hoping to complete the final design of the connector in early 2018. If approved, construction could begin in early 2019 and take about two years to complete.