EDITORIAL 405 RELIEF UNITED FRONT OFFERS HOPE FOR FUNDING CRITICAL FREEWAY FIX.

THE California Transportation Commission likely will decide today to grant all the car-pool-lane money needed for the 405 Freeway after a week of pressure from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and others.

Who says a little complaining doesn't work?

The CTC is set to make the decision about this year's allocation from the $20 billion transportation bond measure that state voters endorsed last November.

Initially, the commission's staff recommended that the 405 get zilch in this round of funding, even though the freeway ranks at the top of the worst freeways in the history of all time.

The outcry from local politicians -- and even others across the state -- changed minds on the commission staff. And on Monday the staff amended the report to include $1.1 billion for traffic-relief projects on both the 405 and Interstate 5.

We hope the CTC will endorse the recommendation so that the relief can begin, at last.