BUENA PARK : Way Cleared for Freeway Project

The City Council has cleared the way for Caltrans to begin buying private properties to make improvements to the interchange of the Santa Ana and Riverside freeways.

The council Monday night approved an agreement that allows the state Department of Transportation to begin buying property this year, said Donald K. Jensen, director of public works.

Jensen said Caltrans is proposing to add more traffic lanes and car-pool lanes on the freeways to improve traffic flow and capacity. It is expected to take the state two years to complete the purchases of the properties within Buena Park that will be affected by the project.

Construction is scheduled to begin in late 1996 or early 1997, with the project taking four years to complete, Jensen said.

Caltrans is hosting an open house June 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Buena Park Community Center, 8150 Knott Ave. Property and business owners are invited to attend.

Representatives of Caltrans, the Orange County Transportation Authority and the city will be on hand to answer questions. Information will be provided on acquisition of property, relocation services and construction schedules.

Property in Buena Park needed to make the interchange improvements will be taken from the south side of the Santa Ana Freeway, Jensen said.

About 15 properties within Buena Park will be affected, including seven houses, he said.

The northbound Santa Ana Freeway off-ramp at Manchester Boulevard will be relocated closer to Stanton Avenue. The southbound on-ramp near Manchester will be removed and not replaced, he said.

The Santa Ana Freeway overpass at Orangethorpe Avenue will be widened as part of the project. Beach Boulevard will also be widened between 9th and 7th streets, which is needed to accommodate the additional southbound traffic that will be diverted after the existing southbound ramp east of Stanton Avenue is eliminated.