WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Department on Wednesday awarded a $75 million low-interest loan to a California county to construct a 7.5-mile extension of the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.
The Santa Barbara County Local Transportation Authority will use the loan to expand the lanes on busy U.S. 101. The county’s $456 million highway project also includes rebuilding interchanges and other improvements and is expected to be completed in 2025. Southern California has among the most congested highways in the United States.
(Reporting by David Shepardson)