A.V. CAR-POOL LANES OPEN WITH DEDICATION, SIX EXTRA MILES BRING TOTAL TO 36.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- Transportation officials and lawmakers Friday officially dedicated 6.2 miles of car-pool lanes built on the Antelope Valley Freeway at a cost of $41 million over the past 14 months.

The lanes, which opened Friday morning to traffic ahead of schedule and on budget, run from Avenue P-8 in Palmdale to Mountain Springs Road, where the existing car-pool lanes end just south of the Pearblossom Highway interchange.

``We have come a long way in the last eight years. The first HOV (high-occupancy-vehicle lane) was from San Fernando Road to Sand Canyon. Today we have 36 miles of continuous HOV lanes,'' Caltrans Chief Deputy District Director Raja Mitwasi said. ``What does that mean? For those who will use the HOV lanes day in and day out, they will save one minute per mile. That's a lot of time that people in the Antelope Valley can spend with their families.''

The dedication ceremony took place beside the freeway on Avenue P-4. In attendance were local lawmakers, city officials and transportation officials.

Autos with multiple riders during rush hours will be able to travel 35.9 miles of car-pool lanes from Palmdale to the Interstate 5 interchange south of Santa Clarita. The lane construction started in 1996 in Canyon Country.

Eventually, the car-pool lanes will connect with car-pool lanes on Interstate 5. Antelope Valley officials would like to see the car-pool lanes extended north to Avenue L.

``The next job is the interchange at the 5 and 14. We are hoping to make the transition from the L.A. metro area to the north county much smoother,'' said Ara Najarian, Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member. ``We want to make the entire freeway system easier to get around with.''

The car-pool lane project had a torturous path to getting started in March 2005. It was originally expected to start in 2003 at a cost of less than $32 million, but in 2003, the project was among some 140 dropped in a budget-cutting move.

MTA leaders in 2004 financed the work by shifting money earmarked for other highway projects that weren't ready for construction.

The Antelope Valley Freeway's previous new section of car-pool lanes was completed between Escondido Canyon Road and Pearblossom Highway, a distance of 10.5 miles, in 2002. That job lasted two years and cost $32.9 million, officials said.

Car-pool lanes are on 450 miles of Los Angeles County freeways and are planned on 70 more within five years. Officials say they encourage motorists to stop driving alone and also provide express lanes for public buses.

On the Antelope Valley Freeway, the car-pool lanes are open to motorists driving alone outside rush hours, under legislation authored by state Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, when he was an assemblyman.

Runner credited highway workers with getting a difficult job done -- adding lanes when traffic is whizzing by.

``I want to thank Caltrans in getting these things done, and done quickly. It's a tough job,'' Runner said.

Runner recalled being frustrated when returning to the Antelope Valley with the freeway closed down to one lane during construction.

``I had to remind myself it will all get better soon. Today is the day it gets better,'' Runner said.

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com

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4 photos

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(1 -- 2 -- color) Above right, six miles of new car-pool lanes on the Antelope Valley Freeway opened to traffic Friday. At right, state Sen. George Runner speaks as Caltrans Chief Deputy Director Raja Mitwasi listens during a dedication ceremony for the new lanes.

(3 -- 4) Above, Caltrans Chief Deputy Director Raja Mitwasi speaks at the ceremony to celebrate the newest car-pool lanes in L.A. County on Friday. At right, cars use the newly open lanes on the Antelope Valley Freeway.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer