55 Freeway Widening Marked by Ceremony

A special thank you for the patience Orange County motorists have shown in the past two years will take place today as officials mark the completion of the Costa Mesa Freeway improvement project.

Officials from the Orange County Transportation Authority, California Department of Transportation and the cities of Santa Ana, Orange and Tustin will participate in the celebration, being billed as “55 Freeway Crosses the Finish Line.”

Begun in 1995, the project widened a 1.3-mile segment of the Costa Mesa Freeway, from just south of the 17th Street bridge to the Garden Grove Freeway. The improvements included the addition of two lanes in each direction of the freeway and the reconstruction of several overpasses.

The $27-million project was funded by a half-cent sales tax Orange County voters approved in 1990. The event, featuring an Indy car and classic car show, will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Enderle Center parking lot, at Enderle Center Drive between 17th Street and Vandenberg Lane in Tustin.