POMONA : $77 Million Approved for New Interchange

The California Transportation Commission on Friday approved funding for a $77-million interchange connecting the Corona Expressway and the Pomona Freeway aimed at alleviating traffic that has nearly doubled in the past decade.

The four-level interchange will connect the freeways in Pomona and provide a smoother transition between the two major arteries, which converge near the borders of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, said Caltrans spokesman Russell Snyder.

Construction is expected to begin at the end of the year and will take about three years, Snyder said. Some congestion is expected as workers intermittently close single lanes during off-peak hours and at night. The project includes realigning almost two miles of the Corona Expressway and adding cloverleaf connector ramps.

In 1982, 106,000 cars a day crossed the Ponoma-Corona interchange, Snyder said. Now, 204,000 cars used the interchange, with a projected 400,000 cars using the passage by 2011.

The project received $73.3 million from the state transportation commission. A large share of this money was moved ahead from the 1996-97 state budget as part of Gov. Pete Wilson’s directive to step up transportation work to help stimulate the economy, Snyder said.

The budget-juggling move could save up to $2 million in inflation costs, he added.

The city of Pomona contributed an additional $4.1 million to the project.