Parts of Freeway Interchange Reopen : Repairs: The Antelope Valley and Golden State highway junction is named for an officer who plunged to his death after quake.

The Los Angeles region’s recovery from the Northridge earthquake reached a milestone Friday morning as officials reopened key sections of the Golden State-Antelope Valley freeway interchange, naming it in memory of the motorcycle officer who plunged to his death there after the temblor.

Little fanfare attended the reopening, unlike the elaborate ceremonies that celebrated the completion of two other major freeway restoration projects earlier this year. But motorists were jubilant as they honked and whooped their way across the interchange at the northeast exit from the San Fernando Valley, the most heavily traveled artery connecting Los Angeles and the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

“This justifies it,” project superintendent John Britt said of the round-the-clock work that went into completing construction three weeks ahead of schedule. “I wanted to see this--and now I want to go get some sleep.”

Led by the California Highway Patrol, a stream of cars and trucks--the tail end of rush-hour traffic headed toward Downtown Los Angeles--switched effortlessly from the southbound Antelope Valley Freeway to the southbound Golden State Freeway shortly before 9:30 a.m.

Workers also opened the connector between the northbound segments of the two freeways. But with most motorists still conditioned to veer onto a truck bypass before the interchange, only a handful of cars came through.

One belonged to Debbie Castner of Westchester, who said she took the interchange by accident because she was lost on her way to Magic Mountain.

“Oh really? Hot dog!” Castner, 38, exclaimed when told she was among the first to use the newly paved route, which spans three lanes on either side.

The remaining transitions between the southbound Antelope Valley Freeway and the northbound Golden State, and from the southbound Golden State onto the northbound Antelope Valley, are to be completed later this year.

The entire interchange has been renamed in honor of Clarence Wayne Dean, the Los Angeles motorcycle police officer who unwittingly rode off the end of the collapsed overpass in the pre-dawn darkness immediately after the Jan. 17 quake. State lawmakers approved the name change, at the request of his fellow officers, earlier this week.

“He would’ve liked that,” said Deborah Barton of Lancaster, Dean’s oldest sister.

Barton, 45, fought back tears Friday morning as cars whizzed by the spot where her brother was killed. “The whole thing’s been hard. It was a terrible loss,” she said.

Nine officers who worked with Dean pulled up at 10 a.m., believing there would be a dedication ceremony, but officials said a formal commemoration would take place later.

“It’s the least we could do,” said Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), who introduced the resolution in the Assembly.

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The $19.6-million restoration project, paid for by federal disaster relief funds, came with a $100,000-a-day bonus for early completion. Finishing ahead of the July 28 target date will net the contractor, Kasler Corp. of San Bernardino, an additional $3.5 million.

Bonuses were also awarded for the ahead-of-schedule repair of the Santa Monica Freeway in April and the Golden State Freeway over Gavin Canyon in May.

Although state and federal officials scrambled to attend those reopenings and claim political credit for bringing them about, Friday’s event was low-key, attracting only a few reporters and workers who watched as the barriers were removed.

“When we opened the I-5, the community really wanted to do something and the governor agreed. (But this time) the governor really just wants to see us get this work complete. We’re anxious to turn it back over to motorists,” said California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Margie Tiritilli.

“We don’t need a ceremony,” added Kurt Thomas, a structural engineer for Kasler.

Thomas said work on the bridges was especially hazardous because of their height. The tallest column stands 126 feet, the shortest 61 feet. By contrast, the Gavin Canyon overpasses were 80 feet high, the Santa Monica Freeway about 20 feet.

About 250 workers toiled 24 hours a day, often high above the Metrolink commuter rail tracks. The canyon terrain also made access difficult for supply trucks, said John Cluff, project manager.

The interchange served 125,000 cars and trucks daily before the earthquake, according to Caltrans. Last month, with detours and bypasses in place, the area handled about 105,000 vehicles per day.

Many commuters from northern Los Angeles County flocked to the Metrolink trains after the temblor, swelling ridership on the Santa Clarita line from about 1,000 a day to 22,000. The standing-room-only crowds have since thinned to about 4,000 a day in June.

Metrolink officials acknowledge that the Antelope Valley interchange presents greater competition than did the early reopening of the Golden State Freeway over Gavin Canyon. For many passengers who have been riding the Santa Clarita line, the newly restored interchange is the most convenient link to the south, and is expected to siphon off about 7% of their passengers, Metrolink estimates.

Officials have worked hard to keep the 2-year-old rail service attractive to commuters, reducing travel time, running promotions and offering discounts. Santa Clarita City Councilwoman Jan Heidt, an alternate member of the Metrolink board of directors, expressed confidence that riders would stick with the trains, but said the appeal of freeways was tough to counter.

“Maybe the freeways were repaired (too) quickly,” she said. “What we say is ‘Get out of your car,’ but what we do says, ‘Get back in.’ ”

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Heidt believes the key for Metrolink lies in marketing its improvements. “That will keep some of the people we gained. We’re going to continue to attract people,” she said. “I wish we had more time.”

Beginning Monday, the first workday on which the interchange will be available to commuters early in the morning, Metrolink will have to work on persuading passengers like Cheryl Anderson of Valencia to stay loyal.

“The earthquake made a lot of people do this,” she said, preparing to board a Metrolink train. “It’s not a permanent change for how most people get to work,” said Anderson, 29, who works as a legal assistant in Glendale. “Who wants to drive 15 minutes to wait for a train when you could be in your car and already part way there?”

On Friday, Caltrans awarded F.C.I. Constructors of San Diego a $13.2-million contract to repair the remainder of the interchange. The company has 120 days from today to complete work.

Times special correspondent Douglas Alger contributed to this story.

Interchange Reopening

A look at Friday’s reopening of key sections of the Golden State-Antelope Valley freeway connection.

112: days to complete the project.

$19.6 million: the value of the original contract.

$3.5 million: the bonus the San Bernardino-based Kasler Corp. will receive for finishing early.

18: columns and abutments in the interchange.

126 feet: tallest column.

61 feet: shortest column.

250: workers on the project around the clock.

16,700: cubic yards of structural concrete.

6.7 million: pounds of steel.

Sources: Caltrans, Kasler Corp.

* FAMILY COPING: The mother of Clarence Dean is buoyed by son’s fellow officers. B6