DEL MAR — Some protestors held banners with slogans such as “please don’t pave our park” and “save Trestles,” while supporters waved signs that read, “build the 241” and “drive less: live more.”

No matter where you stood, there was no shortage of opinions at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Feb. 6 as 3,000 people packed into Wyland Hall for the California Coastal Commission hearing on the controversial toll road project at North County’s northern edge.

The $875-million proposal calls for a 16.9-mile, four-lane toll road that would begin near Mission Viejo and end at San Onofre by linking up with Interstate 5.

But approximately four miles of the road would carve through San Onofre State Park, drawing the ire of many conservationists.

The atmosphere inside the hall was at times electric as swarms of people shouted out chants and jeered toward one another. It was also a record-setting crowd for the California Coastal Commission, whose monthly meetings at different locations throughout the state typically average 500 attendees.

On one end were surfers and environmentalists trying to preserve one of the state’s most treasured beaches and surfing spots, and on the other were frustrated commuters desperately seeking relief from daily traffic woes along Interstate 5.

After a 12-hour marathon meeting that included passionate testimony from all sides, the Coastal Commission voted 8-2 to reject the proposed project. The last stretch of the toll road would be within the coastal zone the commission has jurisdiction over, meaning a coastal development permit approval was needed from the commission before the Orange County Transportation Corridor Agency could go ahead with the project.

One of those disappointed at the outcome was Brian Garceau of Oceanside, who said that Interstate 5 often turns into a parking lot — even on weekends.

“Sometimes you just want to go from the 76 to the 78 and you have to take back roads to get there,” Garceau said. “It’s ridiculous.”

The Coastal Commission’s staff report was very critical of the project, especially in regard to its potential negative impact on surfing conditions, aesthetics, wildlife and the project’s inconsistency in abiding by the Coastal Act.

“This is the most significant project to come before this commission since the San Onofre nuclear plant,” said Peter Douglas, executive director of the California Coastal Commission. “I don’t know of another project that has been so demonstrably against regulation that has come this far along the process.”

The Orange County Transportation Corridor Agency took the position that the project would cause no noticeable change to surfing conditions at Trestles and also stated that a new toll road would reduce traffic from San Clemente to Northern San Diego by nearly half and provide much-needed route relief for police, fire and ambulance vehicles.

The Coastal Commission said the toll road would have a significant impact on local animals such as the Pacific pocket mouse, the Arroyo toad and the Southern steelhead trout — all of which are either federally threatened or endangered species that reside within the proposed project area.

“This toll road is exactly the kind of project that the Coastal Commission was created to prevent,” Douglas said.

Darcy Epeneter traveled to the fairgrounds from San Clemente to see the outcome of the hearing. She said she was very concerned about the potential impacts on the beaches and wildlife. “I had to miss school to come down, but I just had to be here.”