Transit Board OKs $60 Million in Spending

ORANGE COUNTY — More than $60 million in voter-approved transportation tax funds were allocated by Orange County transit board members on Monday. The funds--the latest dole from the half-cent sales tax approved as Measure M in 1990--will go to everything from major roadwork to bike lane striping.

Among the bigger-ticket items to win funding were a $4.2-million project to straighten Laguna Canyon Road and another $4.2 million dedicated to interchange improvements on the Garden Grove Freeway.

Also targeted for relief are long waits at crowded intersections, with more than 60 traffic signals scheduled for improvement. Orange County Transportation Authority officials said the $11 million earmarked for signal improvements in the county may make it possible to move more cars faster on busy city streets.

Measure M, which is expected to raise than $3 billion over its 20-year span, ends in 2011.