Greater Los Angeles Freeway System

[klamedia]

Just privatize the highways and "let the market decide". If people want to drive the highways they'll pay. If not they'll take surface streets or other alternatives like a dirt road. The highways should be able to pay for themselves. Where's my Libertarians at?? Oh yeah btw......"I built that".

[pesto]

Generally, compliance and administrative costs are prohibitive; same issue as police, fire, defense, etc. It's not practical to meter usage or negotiate one off deals when services are needed.

btw, if you really want to add to the discussion, these kinds of issues are discussed in huge detail in economics and law and economics classes, many without too much math. In some case privatization provides efficiencies and in others it doesn't.

[112597Jorge]

The 710 fwy may be expanded to 10 lanes

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/0...lanes_wide.php

I like the four elevated lanes for the electrical freight trucks and trailers.

[klamedia]

Originally Posted by pesto

Generally, compliance and administrative costs are prohibitive; same issue as police, fire, defense, etc. It's not practical to meter usage or negotiate one off deals when services are needed.

btw, if you really want to add to the discussion, these kinds of issues are discussed in huge detail in economics and law and economics classes, many without too much math. In some case privatization provides efficiencies and in others it doesn't.

Don't back away from your past statements now that it is no longer convenient. You rail (no pun intended) against HSR for not being profitable but fall mum when we talk about highways. Where's the user fee for highways? Oh yeah, the gas tax which hasn't been raised since 1993. And the economics of planning courses that I took all speak of the built in inequities of the IHS (with little math).

[saiholmes]

Originally Posted by US 101 Carpool Lane Improvement Project

Over the next four years, Caltrans and its partners will construct a six-mile carpool lane in each direction for vehicles with two or more passengers, along US 101 from Mobil Pier Road in Ventura County to Casitas Pass Road in Santa Barbara County. Additional improvements include: a pedestrian undercrossing in La Conchita, concrete barriers, southbound bike lane, median landscaping, reconstruction of existing drainage, closing existing median openings and installing Intelligent Transportation System elements such as underground vehicle detectors and Close Circuit TV cameras.

The $102 million project will alleviate congestion, encourage carpooling and improve air quality. The project is expected to begin spring 2012 and be completed in late 2015.

Read More: http://us101-info.com/

[saiholmes]

Originally Posted by I-5 Corridor Improvements

The Golden State Freeway (I-5) is the backbone of California’s freeway system, running north-south from the Mexican border to Oregon and then beyond to Canada. It is a key transportation route for the movement of people, goods and services throughout the state. Recognizing the importance of I-5’s economic role, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7, serving Los Angeles and Ventura counties, is investing more than two billion dollars in improvements to the corridor over the next five years.

As Southern California’s population grows, traffic volumes on I-5 continue to increase. To relieve congestion, Caltrans is improving two crucial segments of the corridor: between the Ventura Freeway (SR-134) and the Kern County line, and between the Orange County line and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605). These segments are known as I-5 North and I-5 South, respectively.

The improvements listed below will enhance safety, improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, encourage ridesharing, decrease surface street traffic and improve air quality:

High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV or carpool) Lanes – Carpool lanes for vehicles with two or more passengers
Direct HOV Connectors – Carpool lane connections so motorists can travel from one freeway directly to another without leaving the HOV lane
Interchange Improvements – Upgraded on- and off-ramps, bridge widening and/or bridge reconstruction
Truck Lanes – New lanes designated for truck traffic
Pavement Replacement – Extends roadway life, reduces maintenance costs and closures, provides a smoother ride for motorists
Grade Separation – Bridge used to separate levels at which cars, trains, and/or pedestrians cross
Pedestrian Overcrossing – Bridge for pedestrians to cross over freeway

Most of these improvements are funded through a combination of federal, state and local resources. Additionally, several projects have been partially funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Read More: http://i-5info.com/

[saiholmes]

Originally Posted by I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project

The I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project will add a 10-mile HOV lane and improve supporting infrastructure such as ramps, bridges and sound walls on the San Diego Fwy. (I-405); while widening lanes from the Santa Monica Fwy. (I-10) to the Ventura Fwy. (US-101).

This project will reduce existing and forecasted traffic congestion on the I-405 and enhance traffic operations by adding freeway capacity in an area that experiences heavy congestion. In addition to these modifications, the project will improve both existing and future mobility and enhance safety throughout the corridor.

Project benefits include a decrease in commuter time, reduction in air pollution, and promotion of ridesharing.

The I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project will:

Add a 10-mile HOV lane on the northbound I-405 between the I-10 and US-101 Freeways
Remove and replace the Skirball Center Dr, Sunset Bl and Mulholland Dr bridges
Realign 27 on and off-ramps
Widen 13 existing underpasses and structures
Construct approximately 18 miles of retaining wall and sound wall

Read More: http://www.metro.net/projects/I-405/

[pesto]

Originally Posted by klamedia

Don't back away from your past statements now that it is no longer convenient. You rail (no pun intended) against HSR for not being profitable but fall mum when we talk about highways. Where's the user fee for highways? Oh yeah, the gas tax which hasn't been raised since 1993. And the economics of planning courses that I took all speak of the built in inequities of the IHS (with little math).

Didn't notice this before. The proponents of HSR claimed (and still do) that it will be profitable. But it won't, as the auditors and private studies have repetedly pointed out. I personally don't have trouble with that if it's what people want. I would like to see another vote to let the voters decide if the initial outlays and funding of continuing deficits are what they really wanted.

The gas tax should be repealed and highway maintenance put to a vote as well, if you think it's useful. But remember they are not just passenger roads: they are the movement of goods, emergency services, etc. Very few places have tolls for major urban roads. If they lose, they lose; but they won't.

[Kenni]

I had mentioned previously that the 105 might also have toll lanes like the 110, as they have been doing some work on it lately. But I've learned that it will not, the adjustments they did to the HOV lane with the addition of new signs, electric boards etc. are accomodations to enter and exit the toll/HOV lane for the 110 conections.

[saiholmes]

Originally Posted by I-215 Widening

I-215 Widening

Caltrans began construction at the end of December 2007 on Phase 2 of the Interstate 215 (I-215) widening project from Orange Show Road to Rialto Ave., and serves as the lead agency for this $89 million section of the freeway-widening project. MCM Construction was awarded the contract on December 14, 2007. Phase 2 is scheduled for completion in 2010.

In the first 15 months since the beginning of the project, the following work has been completed:

Construction of two new on-ramps and two new off-ramps at Mill Street
Constructed one-half of the new Inland Center Drive Bridge
Widened the northbound Orange Show Road off-ramp
Constructed a new center median

Work to be completed over the next year:

The completion of wider bridges at Warm Creek and Lytle Creek
The completion of the Inland Center Drive Bridge
New on- and off-ramps at Inland Center Drive
New northbound on-ramp at Orange Show Road
Two new lanes, one carpool and one mixed flow, on the freeway
Completion of the widening of Mill Street

Caltrans will serve as the lead agency for construction on Phase 4 of the I-215 Widening Project spanning from Massachusetts Avenue to University Parkway. The $139 million contract was awarded to MCM Construction in November 2009. Funding is provided by State, Local and Prop 1b. Construction began in January 2010 with the closure of Highland Avenue on- and off-ramps.

Work in this phase consist of:

Reconstructing the bridges at Massachusetts Avenue, Highland Avenue and 27th Street
Connectors at I-215/SR-210
Southbound auxiliary lane from University Parkway to the I-215/SR-210 interchange
New northbound general-use lane
Local street and drainage improvements
Addition of soundwalls and aesthetic improvements.

The estimated completion date of this project is Summer 2013.

The entire project will expand and upgrade the I-215 from Interstate 10 to University Parkway. This estimated $800 million project has an expected completion date of 2013. Caltrans has partnered with San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG), the Federal Highway Administration and the City of San Bernardino to complete improvements to the corridor.

Nearly 174,000 motorists travel daily through the Phase 2 segment and it is projected to reach almost 220,000 by the year 2030. Improvements to the I-215 will aid in relieving congestion, improving access to the freeway and local streets and will improve safety by eliminating fast lane entrances to the I-215.

Read More: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist8/projects...ning/index.htm

[klamedia]

Originally Posted by pesto

The gas tax should be repealed and highway maintenance put to a vote as well, if you think it's useful. But remember they are not just passenger roads: they are the movement of goods, emergency services, etc. Very few places have tolls for major urban roads. If they lose, they lose; but they won't.

The measure supporting HSR has already passed, there is no need to vote on it again. It's very likely that if the Interstate Highway System in its original form was put up for a vote it probably would have failed. It was decades before some metro areas (especially smaller ones) were connected. And why would people vote to knock down their own neighborhoods? What the HSR opponents are doing is disingenuous. It passed already. And a gas tax or VMT tax should never be voted upon, they should be imposed. A driver should take personal responsibility for driving a personal automobile. Shocking that you wouldn't be at the forefront of this argument with all of your Libertarian talk. Oh well, flip flopping is in season I guess.

[redspork02]

fYI... The 210 segment from Pasadena to Redlands is being renamed Interstate 210 from CA 210. New signs were being put up today. Witnessed it myself.

[saiholmes]

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Times

L.A. County enters era of freeway toll lanes
On Saturday an 11-mile stretch of express lanes will open along the 110 Freeway from near downtown to the South Bay. Trips will cost up to $15.40 and may cut commutes by 2 to 3 minutes per mile.
By Ari Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times
November 9, 2012, 4:55 p.m.

But Saturday marks a break with that legacy. For the first time, L.A. County officials will begin charging motorists to use carpool lanes on an 11-mile stretch of the 110 Freeway from downtown to the South Bay.

The 110 express lanes mark the area's first effort at "congestion pricing," in which officials allow solo drivers to use less-crowded carpool lanes to cut their commutes by two to three minutes a mile on average — if they are willing to pay as much as $15.40 per trip.

If all goes as planned, a 14-mile toll lane along the 10 Freeway from Union Station to the 605 Freeway will open early next year.

And officials acknowledged this week that they are considering even more carpool lane conversions. One that has gotten considerable attention is the lane being built along the 405 Freeway on the Westside.

Once that is completed, the 405 will have contiguous carpool lanes from south Orange County to the San Fernando Valley, a tantalizing prize for advocates of congestion pricing.

Read More: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,7241120.story
Read More: https://www.metroexpresslanes.net/

[klamedia]

This is thankfully more authoritarian than I had once believed. So my understanding is that you won't be charged if you have the multitude minimum threshold riding in your car but you will still need to have purchased a transponder. So from now on, no riding in carpool lanes on this stretch of highway without a transponder, period.

[saiholmes]

Originally Posted by Daily News Los Angeles

Tunnel beneath Sepulveda Pass or widen 405 Freeway? It could happen quicker with private money
By Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Daily News Los Angeles
Posted: 12/26/2012 08:06:28 PM PST

Under current funding scenarios, Metro expects to have $1 billion for the project by 2039, with the money coming from Measure R, a half-percent sales tax that voters approved in 2008.

The cost of a tunnel, however, is about $10 billion.

Moliere said if Metro decides to partner with the private sector, it would create financing for construction to begin in just a few years, instead of a few decades.

"At the very least, this would accelerate the project by 30 years," he said. "At the most, it actually creates the project, ... because there's really no funding set aside for this now except $1 billion, which is very little for a project this size."

Moliere added there are only about four to six private entities worldwide that are capable of taking on a project this size, and all of them have reached out to Metro.

Investors would get their money back either by waiting for more public funds to come in, or by charging drivers a toll for using the highway within the tunnel.

Read More: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_222...en-405-freeway
Read More: http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/1...er_the_405.php

[HenrikLar]

Post fail

[saiholmes]

Originally Posted by Metro - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority - The Source

Metro and Caltrans mark the opening of Metro ExpressLanes along 14 miles of the I-10 San Bernardino Freeway on Saturday
Posted February 22, 2013 by Steve Hymon

Following on the heels of the successful opening late last year of 11 miles of Metro ExpressLanes along the Harbor Freeway, Metro and Caltrans officials joined federal, state and local elected leaders today in a preview ceremony to mark the opening of Los Angeles County’s second set of Metro ExpressLanes scheduled for 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23.

The new ExpressLanes will stretch along 14 miles of the I-10 San Bernardino Freeway, between the I-605 freeway and Union Station/Alameda Street near downtown Los Angeles. They will expand the commuting options for motorists and build on the success of the 11 miles of Metro ExpressLanes opened in November on the I-110 Harbor Freeway between the 91 Freeway and Adams Boulevard. Carpools, vanpools and solo drivers must have a FasTrak® transponder to travel in the ExpressLanes. More than 100,000 FasTrak® ExpressLanes transponders have been issued since July 2012.

http://thesource.metro.net/2013/02/2...y-on-saturday/

[klamedia]

Oh please make carpool minimums 4 or more!!!

[saiholmes]

Originally Posted by Pasadena Star News

Alhambra announces support for 710 extension amid protesters
City promises two years of events in favor of 710 freeway extension
By Lauren Gold, SGVN
Posted: 05/14/2013 06:42:42 PM PDT

ALHAMBRA-- The city launched a two-year "Close the Gap" campaign Tuesday in support of the Long Beach (710) Freeway extension to Pasadena, amid protests from a handful of freeway fighters.

The city also declared July 10 as "710 Day" in Alhambra, aimed at raising awareness about the proposed freeway project.

"For 50 years the freeway has not been completed and we in the city want to raise awareness that now is the time it can actually happen," Placido said.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is in the midst of a three-year environmental study of five potential options to fill the freeway "gap ": "No build," traffic management solutions, bus, light rail and an underground freeway tunnel. The draft environmental impact report will be released in 2014.

Metro Spokeswoman Helen Ortiz-Gilstrap, who attended the meeting, said all the options are being studied equally and Metro's study team is currently considering different "refinements" to these five options, including a single-bore tunnel instead of the dual-bore tunnel that was originally proposed.

On Fremont Avenue there are 50,000 cars a day, and 12,000 of those are commuter traffic," he said. "All those cars could be taken off our local streets and away from our schools and parks and put where they belong - on a freeway. ... Doing nothing might be more harmful, have a greater environmental impact, than completing this freeway."

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news...#ixzz2TN3ybbvR
http://www.710coalition.com/
http://www.710gap.com/

[klamedia]

It's not gonna happen.