Time flies when you are having fun, but not when you are waiting for the end of the construction and traffic mess caused by the 57 Freeway/Lambert Road project.
It is hard for time to fly when it often takes you two signals to cross State College Boulevard at Lambert Road due to the endless stream of vehicles turning left onto Lambert to access the freeway.
According to Sheliah Fortenberry, Caltrans’ information officer, completion of the project is expected by the end of this year. The construction began in 2019, then the coronavirus pandemic shutdown came and the project was put on hold, plus other construction delays along the way.
At this time, there is some more bridgework to be completed, along with repaving the freeway ramps and Lambert Road in that area, plus their punch list items, said Fortenberry.
Michael Ho, Brea’s public works director, said the bridgework includes the digging up and lowering of Lambert Road beneath the bridge to accommodate the new higher height limits for trucks.
“It is going on right now,” said Ho, “Starting with the center median island and then the road itself.”
Of course, that means more lane closures during the street-lowering project.
When it is completed, however, we’ll have three lanes in each direction in that area of Lambert Road, plus three for the southbound on ramp and two for the northbound on ramp. Hopefully that will help move traffic along much faster than it is right now.
So what is it all costing? Ho said the original bid award was $47.5 million. Four years later, the project’s cost is $57 million to $58 million, said Fortenberry. Funding is coming from a variety of sources including federal, state, county and local dollars.
The plans for this project have been around since 2011, when a traffic study showed the need for improved circulation of the 57/Lambert interchange, including both northbound and southbound on ramps.
Liz Pharis, Brea’s public information officer, said the city…
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