Nearly 16 miles of carpool lanes were formally opened to traffic Thursday, with Caltrans marking the completion of a pair of projects on the Golden State (5) Freeway.
Caltrans cut the ribbon on carpool lanes that stretch roughly 3.4 miles in each direction on the 5 Freeway between the Hollywood (170) and Ronald Reagan (118) freeway in the Mission Hills and Arleta areas. Lanes stretching about 4.4 miles in each direction of the 5 Freeway between the 170 Freeway and Buena Vista Street in Burbank also officially opened.
“Interstate 5 is the backbone of the state’s freeway system and an important part of our economy,” Caltrans director Malcolm Dougherty said. “The improvements will benefit residents, commuters, commercial vehicles and California as a whole by improving mobility in this important corridor.”
The Mission Hills-area project was a $223.4 million effort that also included a new northbound ramp between the 170 and 5 Freeways, along with a carpool connector lane.
The Burbank project cost $99.8 million, Caltrans officials said.
— City News Service