Countywide : Car-Pool Lanes Open on Riverside Freeway
Inland Empire commuters bound for jobs in Orange County got their first use of car-pool lanes on the traffic-choked Riverside Freeway on Friday.
The first major project financed with use of Riverside County’s Measure A sales tax for transportation improvements, a five-mile stretch between Magnolia Avenue in Riverside and the Orange County line, opened at 10 a.m. with a parade of classic cars from the 1950s and 1960s.
More than 200,000 vehicles per day jam the freeway corridor between Riverside and Orange County, causing some commuters to start their home-to-work journeys as early as 4 a.m.
By Friday afternoon, California Department of Transportation and California Highway Patrol officials reported no incidents along the route.
Officials said the special lanes won’t help relieve congestion much until they’re connected to toll lanes in the freeway’s median in Orange County.
Construction of the toll lanes is expected to start in September or October and will be free to car pools of three or more people.
Built and operated by a private firm, the toll lanes will extend from the county line to the Costa Mesa Freeway.
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