SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Simi Freeway Gets Solar Call Boxes
Transportation officials expect to complete work soon on an ambitious project to replace emergency call boxes along the Simi Valley Freeway with solar-powered phones.
The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission is scheduled to replace 90 old call boxes and add 28 new emergency lines by mid-May to the almost 14-mile stretch between the Golden State Freeway and the Ventura County line, said Clara Potes-Fellow, a transportation committee spokeswoman.
The improvements are part of a $15-million program to replace all 3,500 freeway call boxes countywide with newer models and add 500 new ones.
The entire program, scheduled to be completed by next spring, is funded by a $1 surcharge added to annual vehicle registration fees since 1988.
Crews also are converting telephones on the Hollywood Freeway and north San Diego Freeway. They will begin converting telephones on the Ventura Freeway in August.
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