Fountain Valley City Council members recently passed a resolution to oppose the Orange County Transit Authority’s proposed toll roads on I-405.

Councilwoman Cheryl Brothers abstained from the Aug. 19 vote in which four council members approved the statement opposing toll lanes on I-405 and all other Orange County freeways without approval from all voters in Orange County.

According to reports by Mark Lewis, director of public works and city engineer, the I-405 expansion has three possible alternatives for construction. The City Council opposes Alternative 3, which would add one general-purpose or mixed-flow lane and one toll lane and convert the existing high-occupancy-vehicle lane into another toll lane.

Lewis said the city’s declaration comes after a July 22 meeting, at which Caltrans representatives recommended building Alternative 3, with toll lanes, for $1.7 billion.

Caltrans spokesman David Richardson said that even though Caltrans made a recommendation for the I-405 expansion, the input of the public is necessary in order to make a final decision by 2015.

“The process for determining the preferred build alternative is a very formal one with public input as part of that process,” Richardson said. “The project development team has recommended that the department build alternative No. 3. All public input and the responses to that input will be part of the final environmental document, which, when released early next year, will finalize the decision.”

During the meeting, Brothers said she was opposed to the construction of toll lanes on I-405, but that she would abstain from voting because she believed that Westminster, Seal Beach, Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley residents – known which the council called the “corridor cities” – would vote in favor of toll lanes.

“What we’re saying is that we’re never going to support toll lanes unless the voters in Orange County approve of it,” Brothers said. “My fear is that the voters in the corridor cities and the drivers that are frustrated with our traffic are going to approve toll lanes.”

Councilman John Collins, who has been part the city’s I-405 policy working group for the last three years, said the city’s stance is that toll lanes would not be a value to commuters and that Alternative 2 – with two general-purpose lanes for $1.4 billion – would be better for traffic flow.

Collins said that representatives from Caltrans want to build the toll roads in order to create more revenue for the state. Even though several cities oppose the toll lanes, the ultimate decision would remain with Caltrans.

“If Caltrans wants to build a lane, they want to get money from it,” Collins said.

According to the Orange County Transit Authority, the I-405 expansion construction is scheduled to start in 2016 with a completion date set for 2020.

Contact the writer: rmendoza@ocregister.com