Proposed corridor aims to ease truck congestion through LA County.

 

[view:node_ad=5]In a groundbreaking public-private effort, a standing-room-only crowd of 75 representatives from top U.S. and international engineering and financial firms from England, Spain, Australia and Canada attended a bidders conference at the San Bernardino County Department of Public Works office to inquire about participating in the construction of the High Desert Corridor, announced Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

“In conjunction with the LA/Palmdale Airport and the ‘inland port’, this vital corridor will improve mobility, spur expansion of manufacturing and industrial development in the High Desert, and create a vital, missing goods movement link in Southern California that will improve regional congestion throughout Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties caused by trucks.” said Antonovich. 

Initiated by Supervisor Antonovich and San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt in 2006, the High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Authority comprises San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, and its Board of Directors includes representatives from the High Desert cities of Adelanto, Apple Valley, Victorville, Lancaster and Palmdale.  The goal of the JPA is to develop an innovative financial plan and coordinate funding for building a 50-mile multi-lane expressway connecting State Route 14 in Palmdale to Interstate 15 in Victorville on an accelerated timetable.

The JPA in December issued a Request for Proposals asking engineering and financial firms to submit strategies for how to finance and build the project. The proposals are due back in mid-March.