Drivers Warned on Interchange Speed

Take it easy, lead foot.

That’s the advice Caltrans engineers are offering beach-bound drivers today as they inaugurate a $6.5-million link between the Corona del Mar and Costa Mesa freeways.

The tight loop is expected to shave as much as 15 minutes off the average trip to the beach. But engineers warned drivers to obey the 25 mph speed limit or risk a seriously spoiled Labor Day weekend.

“Just go slow. We don’t want to see any skid marks,” said Caltrans construction engineer Dipak Roy.

The freeway connector is the first element of an $86.7-million package of road improvements slated for the busy freeway interchange near South Coast Plaza. The work, which is scheduled to be completed in 2003, is intended to improve traffic flow by adding lanes and access ramps.

The new connector includes a hairpin curve that requires drivers to significantly reduce speed. Caltrans has placed three warning signs on the approach to the loop, which spans a drainage basin and borders a housing development.

Caltrans officials say the loop is safe and offers full visibility so drivers aren’t surprised by the curve or by stacked traffic.

“The more you see, the better off you are,” said Barry Rabbitt, a Caltrans construction chief. “There’s total visibility here.”

The reason for the design, officials said, is that the connector had to be built on a small plot of land that was further constricted by freeway pylons.

Caltrans and Orange County Transportation Authority officials say the loop meets all state and federal standards.

Comparable loops can be found on the northbound Orange Freeway to the westbound Riverside Freeway, the Riverside Freeway to the San Gabriel River Freeway north and south, and at the “Orange Crush” interchange.

The new link, which joins the northbound Corona del Mar Freeway to the southbound Costa Mesa Freeway, will funnel up to 20,000 cars and trucks a day to Orange County’s coastline, according to officials.

Until now, drivers have had to take surface streets in Costa Mesa to make the connection from parts of the south county area to Newport Beach.

The larger improvement project will modify access ramps at the San Diego and Corona del Mar freeway interchange to reduce confusion. Four new traffic lanes will be built. Work is also being done on a $3.9-million auxiliary lane for entering and exiting the San Diego Freeway between Harbor Boulevard and Euclid Street. To accommodate the new lane, a bridge over the Santa Ana River will be widened.

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Improving the Roads

The opening of the loop linking the

California 73 and 55 freeways is just one of many projects planned to improve the I-405/55/73 interchange.

INCREASING TRAFFIC

By 2020, an additional 60,000 cars a day are expected on this part of Interstate 405, the San Diego Freeway.

TIMELINE

Corona del Mar Freeway (73) improvements: Early 2001

San Diego Freeway (405) improvements: Underway

Project completion: 2003

Source: Caltrans, Orange County Transportation Authority