End of the Road for 55 Widening Is Close

Under pressure to speed up work on the jammed and torn-up Costa Mesa Freeway, Caltrans officials said today’s openings of a heavily traveled offramp and overpass in Orange should serve as proof the $118-million widening is approaching an end.

The widening of the roadway between the Riverside and Garden Grove freeways started in 1999 and has left motorists and some merchants near the project fuming about the congestion, debris and detours. The work is scheduled to be completed early next year.

The reconfigured northbound offramp to Chapman Avenue is expected to eliminate traffic snarls created by motorists entering the Costa Mesa Freeway competing with those leaving the Garden Grove Freeway. The Chapman exit and the nearby Collins Avenue overpass were scheduled to open before rush hour today, said Sandra Friedman, Caltrans spokeswoman.

“This particular ramp should really make things more convenient and make the ride easier because Chapman Avenue is a popular destination,” Friedman said. “It will absolutely help traffic and make it a smoother ride.”

Rob Silva, who uses the interchange daily and manages Sid’s Tattoo Parlor, one of many businesses bordering the freeway, said he expects the change to ease the traffic crunch.

The reopened offramp should provided welcome relief to commuters just as “patience is starting to wear thin,” said George T. Urch, spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority.

County transportation leaders have criticized Caltrans for tardiness on the freeway widening, even offering cash incentives to speed construction. Urch said Caltrans now should be commended for its progress.

Caltrans officials told OCTA board members earlier this week that the project is 93% complete.

Friedman said contractors have “made a concerted effort to have things tie in and are working hard to accelerate the work.”

Supervisor Sees Great Improvement

County Supervisor Todd Spitzer was one of those who criticized Caltrans for being too lax in meeting construction deadlines. He said he has seen great improvement in recent months.

“Awhile back, progress on the 55 Freeway was proceeding at a snail’s pace, and no one was seeing the tax dollars at work,” Spitzer said.

He drove the freeway day and night but rarely saw any workers. “It was a ghost town work schedule,” he said.

Spitzer, who also serves on the OCTA board, said that after a stormy public hearing and the addition of financial incentives, “they were working around the clock.”

Driving the freeway will not be completely headache-free, however. Just hours after the Chapman offramp reopens, the Katella Avenue onramp will close. But it will be a short inconvenience. The ramp will be closed through Tuesday with a stretch of Katella itself closed between Tustin Avenue and Wanda Road from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday and Tuesday.

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Continuing Construction

The southbound Katella onramp on the Costa Mesa Freeway will close today at 9 p.m. for four days. A look at this and other openings/closures:

Source: Caltrans