New Ramp Linking Costa Mesa, Corona del Mar Freeways Opens Today
A new ramp connecting the northbound Costa Mesa Freeway with the southbound Corona del Mar Freeway was set to open at 6 a.m. today.
“This is a very important project from our standpoint,” City Manager Allan L. Roeder said, “particularly for commuter traffic.”
Roeder said that four connector ramps linking the two freeways were supposed to be included when the California Department of Transportation built the Corona del Mar Freeway.
Two of them were sacrificed, however, when the agency ran short of money to finish the project.
The $1.5-million ramp is the first of several freeway improvements that Costa Mesa has undertaken to keep traffic flowing along its highways so that city streets will not become congested.
Roeder said the city has nearly completed designs for the fourth ramp, which will connect the northbound Corona del Mar Freeway with the southbound Costa Mesa Freeway, but is still seeking money to pay for the project.
“Our hope is it will alleviate traffic in residential neighborhoods,” Roeder said, explaining that the two unbuilt ramps had left motorists with no option but to use city streets to get from one freeway to the other.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
