Funding for O.C. Roadwork Driven Down by $11 Million

The mammoth transportation funding package approved by Congress on Friday contains $31 million for Orange County road projects--a drop from the $42 million in the bill when it passed the House in April.

The cuts came in negotiations between House lawmakers, who included $18 billion in targeted “demonstration projects” in their version of the bill, and Senate lawmakers, who included no specific projects in their version. Friday’s compromise legislation included a 25% across-the-board cut in funding for demonstration projects.

The following projects were included in the final version of the bill:

* $12.5 million for an overpass and sound walls at Imperial Highway and Orangethorpe Avenue in Anaheim.

* $1 million for a Yorba Linda Metrolink station and parking lot.

* $985,000 for interchange improvements on the Orange Freeway at Imperial Highway and Lambert Road in Brea.

* $2.25 million for an Avenida Vista Hermosa interchange on Interstate 5 in San Clemente.

* $1.5 million for the Cabot-Camino Capistrano bridge project to connect Cabot Road with the north end of Camino Capistrano in Laguna Niguel.

* $5.25 million to widen Bristol Street in Santa Ana.

* $6.75 million for the Gene Autry Way overpass project on the Santa Ana Freeway in Anaheim.

* $1.5 million to help improve the flow of traffic on Harbor Boulevard at the Garden Grove Freeway.