Steve P. Rados, Inc. is a member of Granite-Myers-Rados (GMR) the joint venture team that is overhauling the SR-22. The SR-22 project is OCTA’s largest freeway improvement project to an existing California freeway using the design-build method. This project involves the widening along 12 miles of the SR-22, from its eastern connection at the Costa Mesa Freeway to Valley View St. near the San Diego Freeway. Freeway improvements include building 2 high occupancy vehicle (HOV) carpool lanes, adding 2 auxiliary lanes between the Santa Ana Freeway and Beach Blvd., elevating the freeway connector with the Orange Freeway at the City Drive to eliminate chronic traffic weaving, and building new on-and-off ramp lanes. Additionally, 600,000 sq. ft. of soundwalls will be constructed along the highway. Of the bridges that comprise this section of the SR-22, 24 bridges will be widened, 6 will be rebuilt, and 4 will be new. Substantial completion of this project is scheduled for November of 2006.

When the freeway was orgininally built in the 1960’s, the population of Orange County was 700,000. Today the population of Orange County has reached close to 3 million. Trafffic volumes are expected to increase by approximately 57% over the next 15 years, from 200,000 cars/day currently to 350,000 cars/day by 2020.