California Department Of Transportation

Although Caltrans insists that the thousands of bridges it maintains are safe, the agency has identified 228 spans that officials say should be at the top of the list for repairs. Officials said these bridges pose no danger of collapse but are considered top priorities for fixes based on such factors as structural problems and how much they are used by cars and trucks. Those on the list received a "sufficiency rating" by inspectors of lower than 50 -- based on a possible top score of 100.

Acceding to requests by residents and city officials, Caltrans has extended the public comment period on a controversial plan to widen Ortega Highway that some believe could alter the city's historic charm. The new comment period ends Sept. 8, officials said Tuesday. The city asked for the extension and hired a law firm to review the proposed project after the state agency rejected its request for a detailed environmental impact report.

Caltrans officials Monday completed their emergency structural inspections of 69 California bridges similar to the one that collapsed in Minneapolis last week, and found none that needed to be closed. Agency spokesman Matt Rocco said 35 inspectors fanned out through the state beginning Thursday to examine spans, including 11 in Southern California, that were built with steel trusses similar to those that failed in Minnesota.

Caltrans officials on Thursday began emergency structural inspections of 69 bridges across California in the wake of the collapse of a span in Minnesota. Many of those bridges are among nearly 3,000 in the state that the federal government found to be structurally deficient, with inspectors concluding that they must be repaired or replaced. State transportation officials said Thursday that the federal findings don't mean the bridges are unsafe for vehicle use.

Caltrans has taken a controversial Laguna Beach property used as a day-labor center off the auction block after city officials vowed to zone it for open space, a designation that would significantly reduce its market value. The land dispute in Laguna Beach, where most property is at a premium, centers on a 16,000-square-foot parcel that has served day laborers for nearly a decade, attracting numerous protesters. City officials say the property has nearly no market value.

Already at the brink of bankruptcy, Placentia may now owe Caltrans millions for the improper use of funds allocated to an ill-fated plan to improve rail corridors. A multimillion-dollar assessment could be a crippling blow to a city that has already gone $6 million in debt because of the failed $650-million project.

The site of the Laguna Beach Day Worker Center has been put up for sale following repeated protests by anti-illegal immigration activists about the use of the land. Caltrans officials say the property on Laguna Canyon Road could fetch about $950,000 at a public auction July 23.

California's growing network of carpool lanes is so congested that many of the lanes have fallen out of compliance with federal regulations, prompting officials Friday to begin considering radical measures to reduce congestion. A Caltrans study found that during the evening rush hour nearly one-third of carpool-lane miles do not meet federal minimum standards, which require that the lanes flow at speeds of 45 mph or faster at rush hour.

As Caltrans moves to widen more freeways as part of a multibillion-dollar infrastructure campaign, road planners are facing an early challenge in tony neighborhoods on the Westside and in the San Fernando Valley. The California Department of Transportation wants to widen lanes on a 10-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway and add a northbound carpool lane through Brentwood, Bel-Air and Sherman Oaks as part of a much-anticipated effort to bring some relief to weary motorists.

It started last year when Caltrans began widening California 138, a main east-west route in Southern California's fast-growing high desert region. Motorists angry at construction delays threatened road workers and damaged equipment. Also, flagmen have been attacked in what officials describe as bizarre incidents of road rage. Two workers were hit by cars and a third was shot with a BB gun.