Century Freeway Tour Pleases Deukmejian

Gov. George Deukmejian, fresh from a tour of the planned Century Freeway, said on Wednesday he was pleased with the state’s progress on the $1.6-billion project but warned that a congressional stalemate over federal highway funds could stall construction of the massive freeway.

Making his first visit to the site as governor, Deukmejian praised efforts to build the Norwalk-to-El Segundo route and said a 1993 completion of the project--the state’s largest and one of the most controversial--remained a top transportation priority.

“This is certainly one of the most major projects that’s under way,” Deukmejian said, “and we certainly are going to try our best to get this one completed as quickly as possible.”

The Southland visit was mostly upbeat. Deukmejian and his aides took a helicopter tour of the route and visited with hard-hat workers at a construction site before driving to a condominium complex that is part of the Century Freeway housing program.

The three-bedroom wood and stucco condominiums, located on Gardena Boulevard, were built to help replace homes torn down to make way for the freeway. Built for $85,000 apiece and sold for an average of $25,000, the condominiums are subsidized largely by federal funds. The first occupants, according to officials of the state Department of Housing and Urban Development, are expected to move in within 30 days.

As he viewed the housing project, Deukmejian said the freeway was still likely to “cause tremendous disruption for neighborhoods and communities” but added that state officials will work to ease those hardships.

Deukmejian was told that the 17.3-mile freeway project is on schedule after struggling for years in various court battles and political skirmishes. Caltrans officials said initial construction of the six-lane freeway involves $38 million in contracts.

But with the Century Freeway dependent on the federal government for 92% of its funds, Deukmejian expressed concern that a congressional stalemate over interstate highway funds would halt construction if it is not resolved in the next few months.

That fight in Washington centers on how federal highway funds should be divided among the states. Congress failed to resolve the issue last year when the Reagan Administration threatened to veto a funding measure with many additional projects tacked on. Until the legislation is passed and signed, the Department of Transportation is withholding the highway trust fund money from the states.

California receives $340 million in interstate construction funds--about 40% of which would go to the Century Freeway--and Deukmejian said that if congressional efforts to resolve the funding allocation issue not successful, highway construction projects around the state would be affected.

“Yes, we could have some serious problems by midsummer,” said Caltrans director Leo Trombatore, who along with Kirk West, secretary of business, transportation and housing, joined Deukmejian for the freeway tour.