U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) on March 7 joined the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) in California to break ground on the State Route 91 (SR-91) Improvement Project, for which she helped secure federal funding.
“The SR-91 corridor is one of the busiest in the country and is critical for families to reach work and school, businesses to thrive, goods to be traded, and communities to stay connected,” Rep. Kim said. “I’m proud to have secured federal resources to directly support this project and improve the SR-91 for years to come.”
In March 2024, the congresswoman voted in favor of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, House Resolution 1061, a package of six appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024 to fund several key priorities. Included in the bills were funding for initiatives to benefit the people of California’s 40th District, which Rep. Kim represents, including $4 million for the Riverside County Transportation Commission’s SR-91 Eastbound Corridor Operations Project, and $4 million to the OCTA for SR-91 improvements.
“These improvements to SR-91 are essential to supporting the growing and evolving transportation needs of Orange County residents, commuters, and businesses,” said OCTA Chairman Doug Chaffee, who joined Rep. Kim at the groundbreaking. “This project will help reduce bottlenecks and create more reliable travel times for the thousands of drivers who rely on this corridor every day.”
The $779 million SR-91 project, led by the OCTA in partnership with the California Department of Transportation, is designed to enhance connections between major freeways while modernizing key interchanges to reduce weaving and merging, as well as to rebuild major overcrossings to include new safety features, sidewalks, and bike lanes.
The project will be implemented in three segments and is funded through OCTA’s Measure M half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, state and federal funding, and excess toll revenues.
“The SR-91 Improvement Project is part of OCTA’s ongoing mission to provide a balanced and sustainable transportation network,” said Darrell Johnson, CEO of OCTA. “We appreciate the community’s patience as we work toward delivering much-needed traffic relief and long-term mobility solutions.”