FEDS PAY ATTENTION TO SNARL $500,000 WILL FUND STUDY OF INTERCHANGE PROPOSALS.

Byline: Alexa Haussler Staff Writer

In an attack on congestion at the 101/405, federal officials said Wednesday that they will design a car-pool lane, a connector ramp and extra exit lanes to speed traffic flow through the gridlocked interchange.

The $500,000 U.S. Department of Transportation grant will pay for engineering studies to be completed by December, and construction could start by 2002 if local and state officials support the fixes, said U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills.

``I can't think of a better use of a half-million dollars than . . . to focus on what is, for many of us, the most frustrating interchange we've ever encountered,'' Sherman said at a press conference at Sepulveda Dam, overlooking cars inching through the interchange.

Some 550,000 cars and trucks travel each day through the Sherman Oaks crossing, which the Daily News has identified as ground zero for gridlock in the San Fernando Valley.

Sherman secured the federal grant a year ago and since then he has held community meetings and conferred with other officials to help determine which projects, among many proposed, should be included in federally funded engineering studies.

The studies will be completed by the end of the year. The next step will be for elected officials to ask the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to fund construction of the projects.

MTA board member and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said he would have to see the costs before making a final decision.

``I certainly would look favorably on Congressman Sherman's desire to do something about the 101 corridor,'' he added.

Yaroslavsky said a lot would depend on the cost but ``you never rule anything out.''

He and others said the commitment of federal funds for the engineering studies, coupled with Gov. Gray Davis' recent announcement of a $15 billion transportation improvement plan, builds support for the projects.

``You can do a lot when everybody's anteing up,'' Yaroslavsky said.

``It seems like there is movement and it is much more realistic than previously,`` said Rosa Fuquay, transportation deputy for MTA board member and county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. She said the governor's transportation plan and past discussions about the need to improve the 101/405 interchange will increase the likelihood of MTA support.

``That obviously gives it a better overall picture,'' she said. ``It's not just a project out there with no other commitments being made.''

Caltrans' regional chief gave a positive forecast for approval of the work.

``Overall, the likelihood is fairly good on these projects,'' said Robert Sassaman, district director for the state Transportation Department.

The proposals that Sherman announced are moving ahead in the planning process are:

--Building a new connector from the southbound 405 to the westbound 101. It would be two lanes wide, twice the width of the existing connector. It would have a more gradual curve than the current link, to allow cars to travel up to 65 mph.

--Building a car-pool lane, also known as a high-occupancy vehicle lane, on the northbound 405 from Greenleaf Street to join an existing car-pool lane just north of Burbank Boulevard. The proposal adds to Gov. Gray Davis' recent announcement that the state will help pay for an HOV lane on the 405 northbound from the Santa Monica Freeway to Greenleaf. ``This would, in total, be an extra lane from the 10 all the way to the 118 (Ronald Reagan Freeway in Mission Hills),'' Sherman said.

--Building a second exit lane at three existing exits on the 101: westbound at Sepulveda Boulevard, and both eastbound and westbound at Van Nuys Boulevard. Doubling the number of exit lanes would reduce the congestion and backup attributed to exiting vehicles, planners say.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick, who has worked with Sherman and other local officials to find congestion remedies along the Ventura Freeway corridor, expressed approval of the package.

``This is a very important first step,'' Chick said. But the miles-long corridor requires more attention, she said.

``None of us can pretend that if we solve all the problems of the 101/405 interchange that we are done fixing the (overall) problem.''

Valley neighborhood and business leaders said Wednesday that they support the proposed changes.

``These improvements are not only necessary, they are long overdue,'' said Carrie Konjoyan, Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce president.

Gerald Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino, called the changes crucial to safety.

``If for no other reason, this project needs to be done as soon as possible,'' Silver said.

The new two-lane, 65 mph ramp from the 405 to the 101 would replace a low-speed, sharp turn that is a bane of drivers. The tight curve forces motorists to slow to 25 mph or less - adding to the backup during rush hours - and then they must accelerate to merge with the westbound flow of trucks and cars on the Ventura Freeway.

The new link would be built on property that is part of the Sepulveda flood control basin. The property is controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which already has indicated its support, Sherman said.

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Map: Fixes for the 101-405

Reuben J. Stern/Staff Artist