(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 § 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 § 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 § 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.

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 714, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2009.)