O.C. to accelerate freeway projects
Orange County transportation planners decided Monday to spend $20 million to spur freeway projects during this fiscal year to help relieve traffic congestion.
The action jump-starts projects that were not expected to begin until after 2011, when revenue from a renewed sales tax would stream in, Orange County Transportation Authority officials said. “I know my constituents want to see infrastructure improvements now than have to wait for 2011,” OCTA Chairwoman Carolyn Cavecche said.
Orange County voters in November approved an extension of Measure M, five years before the half-cent-on-the-dollar sales tax for transportation improvements was set to expire.
The money will come from toll road revenue, federal funds, sales tax and borrowing nearly $8 million from a transportation trust fund that OCTA manages.
Much of the cash will help pay for design, engineering and environmental impact studies to help launch work on the 91, 57 and 5 freeways.
The funds will help cities secure funding for road improvements, add Metrolink service in the county and fund signal synchronization programs, said Monte Ward, OCTA director of special projects.
The projects targeted by Monday’s action include:
* adding capacity to the 91 Freeway, the main connector from Riverside County into Orange County;
* a new northbound lane on the 57 Freeway between Orangewood Avenue and Lambert Road;
* improvements for I-5 interchanges at Avenida Pico, Ortega Highway, Avery Parkway, La Paz Road and El Toro Road;
* new lanes on I-5 from near the El Toro interchange in Lake Forest to the 73 toll road in Mission Viejo; and
* new lanes on I-405 between the 605 and 55 freeways.
Final approval for funding is expected Sept. 24.
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