BREA : Imperial Highway Work Is on Schedule

Nearly one year after construction started, the widening of Imperial Highway is halfway done, and officials are optimistic the project will be completed on schedule.

Work shifted this month to the center section of the highway, and by October construction will begin on the south side, said Assistant City Manager Tim O’Donnell.

O’Donnell said work slowed down because of the rains earlier this year, but construction has picked up since then. “We’re trying to beat the deadline to finish the project,” he said.

The $18-million project, expected to be completed in the summer of 1994, is being funded by the state Department of Transportation and the Brea Redevelopment Agency. Two lanes are being added to the highway, from Berry Street to Randolph Avenue.

O’Donnell said once the widening is completed, Imperial Highway will accommodate 75,000 cars daily and relieve the perennial traffic congestion on the Orange Freeway.

Work on the center section will take about four months, said O’Donnell, who is overseeing the project for the city. He said workers will also improve storm drains connected to the Brea Canyon flood control channel.

The north side is already open to traffic, O’Donnell said.