OCTA Ready to Keep 91 Project in Gear
The Orange County Transportation Authority is poised to put up $6 million to keep planned improvements to the Riverside Freeway on track despite a state budget crisis that has paralyzed Caltrans crews.
The OCTA’s board of directors will vote Monday whether the agency should temporarily advance the money to the state to pay for the extension of a westbound auxiliary lane from Coal Canyon to the Riverside County line.
The $8-million project is expected to significantly reduce congestion.
“There’s very strong support from the board members to pass this,” said Ted Nguyen, a spokesman for the OCTA. “It represents the first of many improvements to be made on the Riverside Freeway.”
The project and its funding were approved by the California Transportation Commission in April. Since then, however, the state budget crisis has prevented Caltrans from disbursing any money until a budget is approved.
Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, who was chairman of the OCTA board when the agency bought the freeway’s 91 Express toll lanes in January, approached state transportation officials to broker a deal.
“The state doesn’t have the money,” he said. “I contacted Caltrans and said, ‘Look, if the OCTA board approves advancing the funding, can you reimburse them?’ The answer was yes.”
The arrangement is crucial, Spitzer said, in light of the OCTA’s purchase of the toll lanes, during which “we promised a whole corridor approach, that we would not only improve the Express Lanes, but make improvements for all commuters.”
“By keeping these projects on track,” he said, “we’re keeping that promise.”
The project, which could be completed by year’s end, would be the first major improvement on the Riverside Freeway since the OCTA bought the toll lanes. That purchase eliminated a “no compete” agreement between Caltrans and the toll lanes’ former owner that had restricted improvements to the freeway.
Under the proposed agreement, the transportation authority will be reimbursed for its expense once the state budget is approved.
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