February 13, 2018 Comments Off on SoCal Readies for First New Freeway in 25 Years Views: 5234 California News, Top California

SoCal Readies for First New Freeway in 25 Years

February 13, 2018

A new Los Angeles County freeway is set to be built that will connect the high desert communities of Lancaster and Palmdale with Victorville, Apple Valley and Adelanto. The $8-billion project would be the first freeway built in SoCal since the Century Freeway opened 25 years ago in South Los Angeles.

The California Department of Transportation, along with a joint powers authority, plan to begin acquiring land in June to build a High Desert Corridor parallel to State Route 18 and State Highway 138 that would be funded via public-private partnerships. The corridor will also include a rapid-transit rail, connected to a proposed high-speed rail to Las Vegas, and a bikeway.

Construction of a new 63-mile freeway connecting the Antelope Valley Freeway (14) and the Barstow/Mojave Freeway (15) marks a bit of a change by transportation agencies. Recent efforts have focused on bringing new mass transit options and transit-oriented developments to the region.