California Transportation Commission

Relief is coming to drivers on some of Southern California's busiest freeways, but not enough, according to local transportation planners who say the region is being shortchanged on its share of bond money voters authorized in November. State officials on Friday announced the first projects likely to be bankrolled with the funds, part of a public works borrowing package championed by the governor.

State officials on Monday significantly increased the amount of bond money they plan to allocate this year for road projects, including carpool lanes for the heavily congested 405 Freeway though Westwood and the Sepulveda Pass. The staff of the California Transportation Commission recommended that $4.5 billion in bond funds be earmarked for dozens of projects statewide instead of the $2.8 billion proposed Feb. 16.

On the eve of their vote today to allocate $4.5 billion in statewide transportation funds, members of the California Transportation Commission were the guests at a cocktail reception in Irvine on Tuesday night paid for by road designers and engineering firms. More than 100 people representing county transportation agencies across the state also attended the reception at the Atrium Hotel.

Just a week ago, Fontana was a big winner in the fight for a new bankroll of state highway dollars when the California transportation officials set aside $85.7 million to widen a leg of Interstate 10 that slices through the mushrooming city. But that was before Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, upset that L.A.

State officials Wednesday approved the largest infusion of state money for road improvements in decades, but for many commuters across California, the promised traffic relief might not arrive for years. The $4.5 billion in assistance approved by the California Transportation Commission eventually will ease the plight of motorists on the Southland's most congested roads, including the San Diego Freeway, Interstate 5, and the notorious Riverside Freeway.

With work already underway to widen a key portion of the 118 Freeway, Ventura County officials say there is only enough money to expand one side of the busy roadway and are appealing to the state this week for more funding to complete the project. The California Transportation Commission initially allocated $50 million for the project but higher construction costs left only enough to add an eastbound lane from Tapo Canyon Road in Simi Valley to the Los Angeles County line, officials said.

Responding to an eleventh-hour appeal from Ventura County officials, the California Transportation Commission on Thursday agreed to allocate an additional $6 million to improve the 118 Freeway in eastern Simi Valley and pledged tens of millions more next year. The state initially earmarked $50 million to widen the freeway by one lane in each direction between Tapo Canyon Road and the Los Angeles County line. But because the project was delayed three years, the costs have increased significantly.

The California Transportation Commission on Wednesday approved a crucial piece of funding for construction of the Exposition Line light-rail line, committing the final $314 million needed to build the project. "It's good news. And it's good to see the state keeping its promises," said David Yale, director of regional planning for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Major construction on the 8.

SACRAMENTO -- Despite lingering doubts about its future, a proposal to build a high-speed rail line between Southern California and San Francisco was kept alive Wednesday when the state Transportation Commission allocated $15.5 million for engineering and design work. The money is a small fraction of the $40 billion that the system would cost to complete, but commissioners said they were not willing to pull the plug even though full financing had not been arranged.

Transit officials said Thursday that they will need an additional $145 million to build the Exposition light rail line from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City, once again underscoring the huge financial stakes involved in constructing a rail system to the Westside. Rapid increases in construction costs have ballooned the project's original $640-million budget to $785 million, officials said, and threaten to shorten the line before it reaches Culver City. The project broke ground in August.