I-5 HOV-LANE WORK TO START TODAY.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Promising to bring much-needed relief to weary commuters, Caltrans will begin construction today on a long-awaited $41.6 million project to build the first car-pool lanes along the Golden State Freeway through the San Fernando Valley.

Most of the work and closures on the I-5 between the Antelope Valley and Ronald Reagan freeways will be done at nighttime but all lanes might not be fully reopened until 8 o'clock for the morning commute.

Expected to be completed in two years, the project should clear bottlenecks at the I-5 and 14 Freeway junction, easing congestion for hundreds of thousands of commuters from the growing Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley suburbs, officials said.

``This was on the Valley's hit list,'' said Bruce Ackerman, president and chief executive officer of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley.

``That is the bottleneck coming into L.A. in the morning. It'll relieve congestion all the way down that pipeline. That's what we've got to do. We've got to keep chipping away at that wherever we can.''

The 6.2-mile project is part of the region's efforts to build a network of high-occupancy-vehicle lanes for vehicles with two or more occupants.

The project will bring one HOV lane in each direction. HOV lanes can save commuters one minute per mile, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which financed this project as a high priority when state funding stalled because of Sacramento's budget crisis.

``It is good news. We're adding to our HOV system, which we're really happy about because it does benefit everyone,'' said Jeanne Bonfilio, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.

``This is really going to benefit commuters.''

Caltrans encourages commuters to scope out alternative routes and understand that key connectors - if not the entire freeway - will be shut down some nights.

The California Highway Patrol will be patrolling the construction area to enforce speed limits, noting that violations carry double the penalty in such zones.

Caltrans understands there will be some inconvenience during the two years of construction, but a spokesman for City Councilman Alex Padilla, whose district includes part of the area, said Caltrans will need to be good neighbors.

``Clearly nighttime construction is preferable, but you also have to be mindful of neighbors who live near the freeway,'' said Padilla spokesman Bill Mabie. ``There has to be a lot of outreach to local residents.''

Antelope Valley area commuters already have car-pool lanes on the 14 Freeway from Palmdale, but the lanes end at the junction with the I-5 just north of the San Fernando Valley.

The HOV connector through the interchange will be done separately in coming years and is not part of this project.

Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts, who also is chairman of the MTA, said the project - along with another one under way near Lancaster - will help keep congestion at bay, but aren't long-term solutions as his region grows.

``I-5, it's still the golden corridor,'' he said. ``It's a major transit way for the foodstuffs from Bakersfield, the manufactured goods out of the ports - all have to use that major connector. So we have to worry about it.

``It'll be nice for a while, until the growth catches up. Then it'll be bad again.''

For San Fernando Valley commuters, plans eventually call for car-pool lanes up and down the I-5 through to Burbank.

As with the interchange project at the Ventura and San Diego freeways, now under way, this project has been on the books for years.

Last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reversed himself and proposed fully funding transportation in the state's upcoming 2005-06 budget, thrilling transportation officials across Southern California.

``We're moving forward in congestion-relief efforts,'' said Bonfilio. ``When we see all these finished, it's going to make a great improvement to people's commutes and the quality of life here in Southern California.''

Lisa Mascaro, [phone]

lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com

For updated information on closures go to http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/index.php

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Map:

NEW CAR-POOL LANES

SOURCE: Caltrans

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