On June 14, construction broke ground on the $328-million West County Connectors Project, which will link carpool lanes at a three-highway convergence in Orange County, Calif.

Photo: Courtesy Of OCTA

The design-bid-build project is one of the county’s largest construction jobs in a decade, say officials. A joint venture of the California Dept. of Transportation and the Orange County Transportation Authority is set to complete the job by mid-2014.

The first project segment will connect the westbound to the northbound high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes and reconstruct a highway interchange and a bridge crossing.

The second segment also will connect two HOV lanes, reconstruct three freeway connectors and reconstruct a bridge crossing. Contractors are set to submit bids next month. According to published reports, more than 327,000 drivers will pass through the interchange each day. The project includes $50 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.