Tollway for Riverside Freeway Advances : Traffic: The 10-mile project would run from the county line to the junction with the Costa Mesa Freeway.

A 10-mile tollway planned for the median strip of the Riverside Freeway lurched closer to reality as state transportation officials hammered out a final contract with a company that wants to build the expressway, authorities said Thursday.

But officials with the California Department of Transportation in Sacramento said the deal has not been signed, and they refused to release any details until negotiations are concluded on three other private tollways, including one planned to run down the Santa Ana River in Orange County.

Jim Drago, a Caltrans spokesman, said the agency concluded the Riverside Freeway negotiations Monday, but no agreement has been signed with California Private Transportation Corp., the firm planning the $88.3-million tollway on a heavily traveled stretch between the Orange County line and the Costa Mesa Freeway in Anaheim.

The tollway, which would connect two lanes in each direction with car-pool lanes planned by Caltrans on a section of the freeway through western Riverside County, has been heralded by Orange County officials as a vitally needed link to ease the crunch of traffic that clogs the freeway each morning and evening.

Among the most congested highways in the nation, the Riverside Freeway (California 91) serves as a prime conduit for vehicles traveling from newer, more affordable neighborhoods in the Inland Empire to job-rich Los Angeles and Orange counties.

In recent months, state and local officials have toyed with the idea of extending the tollway further into both Orange and Riverside counties, which would free money for use on other road projects.

“Those items have been on the table,” said Dennis O’Connor, a California Private Transportation Corp. spokesman. “We’ve had discussions both with Riverside and Orange County officials and we have been very sensitive to what their needs are.” He declined, however, to say whether the firm would be willing to expand the project.

Officials at Caltrans have kept the tollway negotiations cloaked in secrecy since they began in September, saying any details leaked to the public would undercut the state’s ability to effectively hammer out the deals.

Dana Reed, Orange County Transportation Commission chairman, welcomed news of the completed negotiations but said he was eager for the state to finalize the agreements and get them “on the public record” for review. Before construction can begin, the tollways must undergo environmental reviews and hearings before local planning agencies.

Officials with the California Private Transportation Corp., a subsidiary of the nationwide engineering firm CRSS Inc., in recent months have expressed hope that construction on the Riverside Freeway could begin this year, with the project in full operation by 1994.

Besides the Riverside Freeway tollway and an 11.2-mile, $700-million elevated toll road planned along the Santa Ana River flood plain by the Texas-based Perot Group, projects are proposed for San Diego and Alameda counties. Caltrans officials said negotiations on the other tollways are continuing but could be concluded in the next few weeks.

The Riverside Freeway tollway will charge fees of $2 during peak hours and $1 during less congested periods, but free access would be given to car pools, public transportation and motorcycles.

TOLLWAY PROGRESS

Caltrans finished negotiating a contract this week for a 10-mile, $88.3-million tollway down the center median of the Riverside Freeway. The tollway will features fees of $2 during commute hours, and $1 during other times. Officials with California Private Transportation Corp., the firm planning the tollway, hope to begin construction later this year and have the project in operation in 1994.