Countywide : Freeway Connector Ramp Reopens Today

Commuters get a break at 6 a.m. today when the rebuilt ramp connecting the eastbound Garden Grove Freeway to the southbound Santa Ana Freeway reopens as part of the massive Santa Ana Freeway widening project.

The ramp, part of the so-called “Orange Crush” interchange, was closed two years ago in order to accommodate new lanes being added to the Santa Ana Freeway. The ramp was carrying about 20,000 vehicles per day before it was closed.

Reopening the ramp makes commuting easier for motorists who live in west Orange County and Long Beach but who work in the Santa Ana-Orange-Tustin area. Until now, those commuters had to use surface streets as a detour.

Rebuilding the interchange of the Garden Grove, Santa Ana and Orange freeways is a $75-million effort scheduled for completion in 1996.

The next “Orange Crush” ramp to reopen will be the Bristol Street on-ramp to the eastbound Garden Grove Freeway in early 1994, Caltrans spokesman Albert Miranda said Tuesday.

But as part of the entire Santa Ana Freeway widening effort, the next ramp to reopen will be the Main Street ramp to the southbound Santa Ana Freeway at Buffalo Avenue--during the week of Nov. 8, Miranda said.

Reconnecting the ‘Crush’ The connecting ramp fromthe eastbound Garden Grove Freeway to the southbound Santa Ana Freeway reopens today after a two-year closure for roadwork. The work was part of a $75-million improvement project on the “Orange Crush,” the county’s busiest interchange. What was done New ramp is eight feet wider, with two 12-foot lanes and 15-foot shoulder; meets new state standards. It is five feet west of old ramp to make room for widening on Santa Ana Freeway.