Current UCLA students may never see a reduction in the traffic
that plagues the 405 Freeway from the 101 Freeway interchange to
the 10 Freeway.
But the next generation of Bruins might.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 1026 into
legislation Friday, providing for the use of a design-build
construction process in the widening of the 405.
The bill’s author, Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Los Angeles, said
the design-build construction process would allow California to
select one company to manage and carry out the widening of the
405.
She said this will speed up the progress of construction by
simply seeking one bidder for both design and construction, rather
than searching for a bidder for both aspects of the project.
The project, aimed at alleviating congestion throughout the West
Los Angeles stretch of highway, will add a northbound
high-occupancy vehicle lane on the 405 between the 101 and the 10.
By employing the design-build method, lawmakers aim to complete the
expansion by the end of the decade.
Schwarzenegger estimated that the use of the design-build mode
would speed up construction by one-third for a highway where
drivers collectively spend 15,000 hours per day in traffic.
Standing on an enormous mound of dirt and debris next to the 405
““ already moving at a snail’s pace by midday, ““
Schwarzenegger signed the bill Friday afternoon alongside several
state representatives, including Kuehl, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
and California Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Núñez.
Schwarzenegger called the bill a “great bipartisan
victory” for California.
According to a press release from the Office of the Governor,
the design-build method is being employed by at least 18 other
states and was recently approved by the federal government to be
used as a method for project delivery.
Kuehl added that the expedition of the project would allow
California to finish the project in time to obtain federal
funds.
The projected cost of the expansion is over $500 million and
state representatives are working together to secure sources of
money.
At the moment, $130 million in federal funds are available to
California for the construction of the lane, though these funds
must be spent by the end of the decade, said Congressman Brad
Sherman, representative to California’s 27th District, the
San Fernando Valley.
Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Sherman Oaks, said construction must
begin relatively soon in order to capture those federal
dollars.
Three hundred and fifty million dollars for the project will be
provided by the governor’s Strategic Growth Plan, a $222.6
billion plan to begin construction and redevelopment of California
infrastructure.
Schwarzenegger said this statewide plan ““ which would
involve the issuing of $70 billion in bonds and the approval of
both legislators and voters ““ would reduce traffic in
California by 20 percent over the next 10 years.
Another $90 million will be provided by the state’s
existing revenues.
Overall, state representatives were positive about this
acceleration of construction, and some even saw the bill’s
signing as a new day for UCLA students.
“There’s nothing more important for UCLA students
than getting to the San Fernando Valley,” Sherman joked.