Drop Ramp Linking Car-Pool Lane With Overpass to Open

IRVINE — State highway officials will open a new ramp today designed to funnel drivers directly onto the Santa Ana Freeway car-pool lane from a street overpass.

The ramp connects the northbound and southbound lanes of the freeway to the Barranca Parkway overpass, Caltrans officials said.

The so-called “drop ramp” is part of the massive Santa Ana Freeway widening project that has disrupted traffic in varying degrees since 1987.

It is the county’s first such ramp, and highway officials say more drop ramps will be added along the freeway at Grand Avenue and Main Street in Santa Ana. Opening dates for those Santa Ana drop ramps have not been determined, a spokeswoman said.

Caltrans officials said the drop ramp in Irvine will be an added convenience for people who car-pool.

Putting commuters directly onto the car-pool lanes will help speed up traffic, since there will be fewer freeway lane changes, Caltrans spokeswoman Deborah Harris said.

As part of the opening of the drop ramp today, Caltrans officials have scheduled speeches at 10 a.m. by state Sen. Frank Hill (R-Whittier), Irvine Mayor Sally Anne Sheridan and other officials. The ceremony will take place at Charter and Bond, off Irvine Center Drive.