Delayed Bids Opened on Freeway Project

Ending more than two years of delay caused by a dispute over whether to include a car-pool lane, bids for widening the traffic-clogged Ventura Freeway across the San Fernando Valley were opened Thursday, preparing the way for construction in about two months, Caltrans officials announced.

Highway engineers had worried that the project, estimated to cost $35.8 million, might come in significantly over budget, forcing a new round of bidding.

But the low bid of $36.9 million submitted by Tutor-Saliba Corp. of Sylmar was only about 3% over the Caltrans estimate.

The 22-month project is expected to bring short-term relief to the Valley’s main east-west artery, which carries 280,000 vehicles daily and has eight to 10 hours of congestion each weekday.

The freeway, which is a patchwork of eight and 10-lane-wide sections, is to be expanded to 10 lanes from the Hollywood Freeway to Topanga Canyon Boulevard, a distance of 15 miles.