SHERMAN OAKS' OVERDUE RAMP SUFFERS DELAYS CITY LIMITS WORKING HOURS FOR CALTRANS CONSTRUCTION.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer SHERMAN OAKS -- A long-awaited on-ramp to the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. won't open until spring because of rules limiting construction on an adjacent city street, Caltrans officials say. The Greenleaf Street on-ramp to the eastbound east·bound adj. Going toward the east. eastbound Adjective going towards the east Adj. 1. and westbound 101 Freeway was supposed to have been finished by last fall. But California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is a government agency in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems in California. crews were unaware that widening nearby Sepulveda Boulevard to accommodate spillover spill·o·ver n. 1. The act or an instance of spilling over. 2. An amount or quantity spilled over. 3. A side effect arising from or as if from an unpredicted source: traffic would impinge im·pinge v. im·pinged, im·ping·ing, im·ping·es v.intr. 1. To collide or strike: Sound waves impinge on the eardrum. 2. on a city prohibition on rush-hour construction. "We were hoping to have it finished by Thanksgiving, but there were regulations we were not aware of," said Judy Gish, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation. "We expected that we could work more hours than we were able to." The construction is part of a $46 million makeover of the 101-405 interchange, the nation's busiest at 500,000 commuters per day. A Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. exit from the northbound north·bound adj. Going toward the north. northbound Adjective going towards the north Adj. 1. 405 Freeway was finished in November 2005. The current phase was designed to reduce the countless collisions that occurred near the the former Greenleaf on-ramp, where drivers would enter the freeway, then race across multiple lanes to reach the northbound 405. Caltrans crews are now building twin on-ramps at Greenleaf -- one for motorists entering the 101 and an underpass for those heading to the 405. The ramp to the 101 is now expected to open in early spring, Caltrans officials said, with the ramp to the 405 on schedule to open by the end of the year. The city Department of Public Works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. has limited Caltrans crews to working between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. as they widen Sepulveda by eight feet between Dickens and Greenleaf streets in order to add designated turn lanes to the ramp. "Originally, they bid the job because we were told we could work on Sepulveda anytime we wanted," said Caltrans spokesman Dave White. "Then we were told the work hours would be changed, with restrictions on mornings and afternoons during commuting times." On Feb. 3, a 100-foot crane working at the interchange toppled onto the 405 freeway, blocking traffic for hours, creating a commuter nightmare and injuring the crane operator. dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 CAPTION(S): map Map: Greenleaf Street on-ramp to open this spring Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion