By Khalida Sarwari
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has received $156.5 million in state funding for two highway projects slated to get under way next year, the agency announced today.
The funds from the California Transportation Commission will allow VTA to add nearly eight miles of carpool lanes and construct improvements to relieve traffic congestion on Interstate Highway 880 and state Highway 85.
Of those funds, more than $71 million was allocated to widen I-880 from a six- to an eight-lane freeway to extend the carpool lanes, which currently end at the state Highway 237 interchange in Milpitas to the U.S. Highway 101 interchange in San Jose.
Nearly $85 million will go toward the construction of auxiliary and carpool lanes between Highway 85 in Mountain View and Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto.
Caltrans will construct, operate and maintain the highway improvements scheduled to wrap up in early 2014.
The California Transportation Commission oversees state-funded transportation programs, including various Proposition 1B transportation infrastructure bond programs voters passed in November 2006.