Local, State and Federal Officials Reportedly Tour 57/60 Freeway Site

 

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Guess what Diamond Bar destination made the news on NBC LA?

The 57/60 freeway interchange did. The station did a segment on the stretch where the two freeways meet Tuesday, announcing that federal, state, and local officials planned to tour the bottleneck-plagued area that day.

The tour, which reportedly included Diamond Bar Mayor Jack Tanaka and City of Industry Mayor Jeff Parriott, as well as U.S. Reps. Ed Royce and Bill Shuster, was part of an effort to secure federal funding to revamp the interchange, NBC reported.  Shuster is the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The city of Diamond Bar has been ramping up efforts of late to get funding for what has been dubbed the "Big Fix."

Last year, the interchange had 590 accidents and it averages seven hours of congestion per day, NBC reported.

During an August 2012 update on the project, City Manager James DeStefano said the merger of the two freeways, which stretches for around two miles, said the gridlock it causes affects congestion on Diamond Bar streets.

Around 350,000 cars and trucks make their way along the stretch of the two freeways daily.

The "Big Fix," which also is known as the "Confluence Project," is in three phases. The first phase, expected to be done in 2014, includes the construction of a westbound slip ramp at Grand Avenue and the 60. 
The second phase, slated for completion in 2015, involves improvements to the Grand Avenue and Golden Springs Drive intersection. 

The third phase is the major one, consisting of the widening of the Grand Avenue bridge, the creation of bypass roads and an on/off reconfiguration.

Rick Yee, the city's senior civil engineer, said in August that phase one is fully funded at $16.5 million.  Phase two also has the needed $15 million in funding. 

The third phase is unfunded and is expected to cost around $233.5 million, according to Yee.

“There are different strategies being looked at for creative fund sources,” Yee said.  

If funding can be secured for phase three, that project tentatively can be completed in 2017.

“As it stands, it’s not the complete project that’s often referred to as the ‘Big Fix,’” said Yee. “It’s actually missing some components; it’s missing freeway connectors running from the southbound 57 to eastbound 60 and reverse of that.”