Our citizens see the state allocating millions of dollars elsewhere for freeway construction. At issue is a state agreement to allow construction of 10 miles of toll lanes between the Costa Mesa Freeway in Anaheim and the Riverside-Orange County border. Caltrans officials declined to comment on the claim, except to say they are aware of the congestion on the freeway. Supporters of the express lanes, however, blame the congestion on rapid population growth in Riverside County, one of the fastest growing areas in the nation. Today, the Riverside Freeway, which runs through narrow Santa Ana Canyon, is one of the most congested in Southern California.
City officials say that thousands of motorists resort to Corona's streets to bypass the bottleneck.
Officials in Corona say the increased traffic has increased air pollution and response times for police and firefighters. Councilman Miller, an insurance agent who drives 30 miles to his office in Placentia, estimates that it can take him up to 20 minutes to reach the freeway from his home. We have got to do something. You will not be charged to look for stories, only to retrieve one.