Caltrans Sees the Warning Signs of Freeway Turnoff Problem

Dear Street Smart:

Now we’re leaving Huntington Beach and tooling along north on the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway. We make note to watch for signs directing us to the new Glenn M. Anderson (105) Freeway turnoff.

We’re not worried about the Glenn M. Anderson Freeway coming up unannounced. Look at all the good signage announcing the Riverside (91) Freeway at three miles, two miles and one and a half.

And the signs warning us of the Imperial Highway ahead at 2 1/4 miles, 1 1/2 miles, 1 mile and 1/4 mile. Whoa! What was that going by on the right? A sign for Glenn M. Anderson Freeway west? And the turnoff ramp directly under it?

Shall we go for it by crossing two lanes of traffic and two solid white lines? Yeah, right, plenty of turnoff announcement--at least one-eighth of a mile!

Come on, guys, we build a great freeway, and then from the San Gabriel River Freeway we hide it and make it unsafe to access.

Ray Noll Costa Mesa Caltrans is in the process of installing additional advance warning signs on the new Glenn M. Anderson Freeway from the Long Beach (710) Freeway, the Harbor (110) Freeway and the San Gabriel River Freeway. All of the new advance signs will be in place by September, said Caltrans spokeswoman Pat Reid.

Dear Street Smart:

I had an occasion to use the Glenn M. Anderson Freeway for the first time recently and could not believe the insanity of metering lights on the transitions between this and the other freeways. To my knowledge, no other interchange has these lights.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would please check with Caltrans and determine the reason for these impediments to the smooth flow of traffic. Is it, as I suspect, another effort to force drivers into the car-pool lanes since apparently the car-pool lanes do not have these lights? If this is the case, will the other interchanges have lights installed when car-pool lanes are added?

Clifford L. Bundy Costa Mesa Pat Reid said the timing on the connector meters on the Glenn M. Anderson Freeway is still a work in progress. Caltrans engineers are continually changing the operating times at different locations to see what works best, she said.

The theory of ramp metering is to allow only so many vehicles on the freeway so they can travel at least at 45 m.p.h. or above, Reid said. Meters at connectors are independent of car-pool lanes, she said.

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The Orange County Transportation Authority will participate as a sponsor in this year’s “Taste of Orange County,” a food and music festival that will take place June 24-26.

The event will be held at Irvine Spectrum at the corner of Alton Parkway and Irvine Center Drive.

OCTA will provide free shuttle service for the entire weekend from the parking areas to the festival booth sites.