57 and 60 (Photo – diamondbarca.gov)
Reps. Judy Chu (CA-27) and Grace F. Napolitano (CA-32) announced the awarding of a $30 million U.S. Department of Transportation INFRA Grant for the State Route 57/60 Confluence Chokepoint Relief Project.
By News Desk
The funding, which was requested by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA METRO), will be leveraged with over $242 million in state and local funding. Specifically, the funding will be used to construct a series of improvements aimed at improving traffic flow in the confluence area (1.3 miles) between the SR-57 and SR-60 freeways in Los Angeles County. Project elements include a new SR-60 bypass off-ramp to Grand Avenue, a new bypass connector from Grand Avenue to SR-60, reconstruction of the Grand Avenue overcrossing, reconfiguration of the ramps at Grand Avenue, and extension of a lane on SR-57 through the confluence area.
The 57/60 Confluence Project will relieve congestion and improve safety along a regionally and nationally significant goods movement corridor; 340,000 vehicles converge at this interchange every day, weaving through traffic to continue on to their work, home, or school.
Napolitano, the highest-ranking Californian on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has led her fellow Southern California colleagues in requesting these critical funds year after year, on behalf of their constituents, most recently in April. In 2014, Napolitano, Chu, and their colleagues were successful in securing $10 million for the 57/60 project through a different U.S. DOT grant program called TIGER.
Rep. Chu said:
The San Gabriel Valley plays a proud and significant role in our country’s economy as goods from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach make their way through our area on their way to consumers. That has meant an extra burden on our roads which has made the 57/60 confluence one of the worst bottlenecks in the country.
The DOT has announced through the same INFRA Grant program additional funding to alleviate traffic congestion and enhance safety in Southern California. The City of Los Angeles’s request for their Community Infrastructure and Resiliency Zone (CIRZ) Project: Safe Streets Infrastructure Component will receive $18 million. This funding will go towards a Safe Streets Infrastructure project that includes approximately 26 new traffic signals and leading pedestrian interval (LPI) signal enhancements at approximately 90 intersections. It also includes street transformations and hardscape improvements such as new separated bike lanes, high visibility crosswalk markings, a center median pedestrian refuge island, bus boarding islands, sidewalk improvements, curb extensions, upgraded curb ramps, pedestrian signals, new stormwater capture facilities, and additional shade trees.
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