The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced it awarded Metro a $25 million federal grant to advance the State Route 71 (SR-71) Gap Closure Phase 2 Project in the City of Pomona.

“We are grateful to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for providing this vital federal funding for the State Route 71 Gap Closure Phase 2 Project,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “We are also deeply appreciative of the strong support from U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff and members of the LA County Congressional Delegation.”

This project, funded in part by Measure M, will complete the final phase of improvements to the SR-71 corridor by closing a two-mile gap in the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) system. It will add one HOV lane and one mixed-flow lane in each direction, creating more than 15 miles of HOV lanes and improving connections between Los Angeles County, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The SR-71 is a critical regional transportation corridor connecting the 1-10 and SR-60 east-west freight routes. It serves both commuters and one of the nation’s major goods movement regions, providing an important connection for freight traveling between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the eastern part of Los Angeles County.

The project will also improve freight movement by elevating two bridges along SR-71 to enable container stacking at and from the ports. Other improvements include replacing a pedestrian overcrossing, constructing retaining walls and sound walls, and installing landscaping to improve the surrounding communities.

The Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) grant program provides federal funding for multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of freight and people movement in and across rural and urban areas. The $25 million INFRA grant will reduce travel times, improve public safety by reducing collisions, and encourage economic development in a regionally and nationally significant industrial corridor with a growing logistics industry.