91 Freeway Adding Lanes at the 241

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday for a project to add one new lane in each direction along a 6-mile stretch of the Riverside (91) Freeway in Orange County.

When completed in the fall of 2012, the 91 will expand from four to five lanes on both sides between the 55 Freeway and the 241 toll road.

The 91 through Anaheim is currently "one of the most heavily congested freeways in Orange County," said Orange County Transportation Authority spokesman Joel Zlotnik. "This should go a long way toward alleviating much of that traffic."

About 300,000 vehicles a day traverse that section of the freeway, Zlotnik said.

The project is expected to cost $84 million, down $11 million from the original estimate, Zlotnik said.

"This is a really favorable time to be doing construction because so many contractors are hurting for work," Zlotnik said. "It's a great opportunity to get the best deal. We've been seeing savings over the past couple of years of 40 percent.''

The savings will help Orange County officials get more mileage out of Measure M2, which was approved by voters to pay for road construction projects over 30 years, Zlotnik said.

SEMA Construction of Lake Forest won the bid for the job, he said.

—City News Service