Caltrans reduces waste by moving about freeway materials
Q. I drive along the 91 Freeway and pass the 71 quite often, and I see a ton of wood used to build the molds for the concrete for the reconstructed interchange. What happens to the wood when the project is completed? It would seem to me that the wood could be donated to charitable efforts, such as to Habitat for Humanity. Or maybe to the YMCA or to the Boys & Girls Clubs to build a skate park or to teach kids how to build things and use their imaginations.
– Trung Le, Riverside
A. All good ideas, Trung, but environmentally speaking Sheilah Fortenberry, a Caltrans spokeswoman, offered up a better answer.
“Technically, we do not have leftover wood after projects are complete,” she told Honk in an email after looking over your question.
“Once a project is done, the … wood is transported to another project for use,” she said. “This ensures materials and money are not wasted.”
Q. Dear Honk: Can you please look into the approximately one-mile-widening project for the Ortega Highway in the San Juan Capistrano area? We moved to Rancho Mission Viejo seven years ago and that project to make it two lanes in each direction instead of one was supposed to be completed two years ago. Now I see it will not even be started for another two years. What is the holdup? Also, it seems to me the developer of RMV should have had a hand in figuring that all out and helped build it. Besides locals, Ortega is used by many, many folks commuting to and from the Inland Empire.
– Glen Lunzman, Rancho Mission Viejo
This effort is among those in south Orange County, albeit not the key one, that helped end talks, finally, of a southern extension of the 241 Toll Road.
Like countless other transportation projects, this one hit speed bumps, Glen.
“While the Ortega Highway Gap Closure Project has been under consideration for a number of years, there have been some delays,” said Nathan Abler, a Caltrans spokesman.
Slowing down construction was the time it took to line up funding and to acquire property, and for Caltrans to cut a deal with The Hunt Club, a residential community in the area, and the city of San Juan Capistrano.
The estimated $76 million needed is in hand.
“This two-year project is anticipated to begin late 2026 or early 2027,” Abler said. “The developer of Rancho Mission Viejo has been involved with the project since its inception and helped to secure funding for the environmental and design phases.”
HONKIN’ FACT: In May, Bette Nash died at 88. She never retired and was the longest-serving flight attendant ever at 67 years. Mostly, she worked the Washington-Boston route for various airlines: Eastern Air Lines, the Trump Shuttle, US Airways and, finally, American Airlines. A celebrity to passengers who knew her story, each year she had to pass the Federal Aviation Administration safety and performance test. Source: The New York Times.
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