An Out-of-Sync Freeway Project Keeps Car-Pool Lanes Closed

Dear Street Smart:

I am interested in knowing when the car-pool lanes on the Riverside Freeway east and west between the San Gabriel River Freeway and Valley View Avenue will be open. I car-pool this segment of freeway daily and do not understand why it has not opened.

It is fully painted and has signs in place, but they are covered with cardboard. It has been this way for at least two months.

Chris Anderson

Fullerton

The reason is that although the car-pool lane on the Los Angeles County side of the Riverside Freeway is completed, work on the car-pool lane on the Orange County side hasn’t begun.

The L.A. lane isn’t open because it comes to an abrupt end at the Orange County line, and there isn’t enough room for drivers to move safely into regular freeway traffic lanes, according to Rose Orem of Caltrans.

There are several reasons that the timing of the two lanes is so out of whack.

One is that workers in Los Angeles only had to re-stripe the car-pool lane, but on our side of the county line, major reconstruction is needed. Caltrans must widen the shoulder and redesign some of the on- and off-ramps.

Caltrans finished work on the L.A. side on schedule in late September. Caltrans in Orange County, however, timed its car-pool lane work to coincide with the massive Interstate 5 improvement project, with which the car-pool lane will connect.

Work on our car pool lane is scheduled to begin in January, 1997, and finish by May, 1999.

Dear Street Smart:

What happens to all the wood that is used for supports while the freeway overpasses are being constructed? I understand it is just thrown away. Is this true?

Jean C. Falconer

Newport Beach

No. The supports, called “falsework,” are the property of the contractor, who will reuse it in different jobs until it has worn out its usefulness. Then the wood is recycled.

Dear Street Smart:

The intersection of Beach and Whittier boulevards in La Habra is very confusing and dangerous to bicyclists. If you are traveling northbound on Beach Boulevard, there is a sign for bicyclists needing to cross the east leg that says “Bicyclists Walk Bikes.”

However, there is no crosswalk, there are no pedestrian signals, and the entire time the green signal is illuminated, there is also a green right-turn arrow displayed for cars. The last thing the motorists expect to see when turning right on a green arrow is a bicyclist walking his bike across a street that does not have a crosswalk.

Additionally, the length of the green signal is not adequate to allow a person to safely cross the street while pushing a bicycle.

I think this is a liability for Caltrans, and that they might want to consider prohibiting pedestrian crossing on the east leg, and re-stripe Beach Boulevard to better accommodate bicyclists.

Brian Gallagher

Brea

Caltrans already has plans to remove this sign in the first week of December to eliminate confusion, according to Orem.

The sign, which is on the south leg of the intersection, was intended for bicyclists crossing Beach Boulevard on the south, Orem said.

The east leg of this intersection has neither a crosswalk nor a pedestrian signal because pedestrians are not supposed to cross there, Orem said.

Caltrans plans to install additional signs to warn pedestrians and cyclists that no crossing is allowed and to direct them to the three other legs of the intersection that do permit pedestrian crossing. This work also should be done by the first week in December.

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The Orange County Transportation Authority will conduct a public hearing Nov. 14 to consider an additional feature to ACCESS, the van transportation service for seniors and people with disabilities.

OCTA wants to provide same-day service for people who need it but have not made the required 48-hour reservation. The new service is intended for people with urgent need for transportation that day, such as an unplanned medical appointment. It would cost $5 each way plus $1 for every five miles.

The hearing will be at 9 a.m. in the Orange County Planning Commission Hearing Room, Hall of Administration, 10 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana. If the feature is approved, it will go into effect Jan. 1.