California highway project commencing at end 2017

Construction work on the US$3.5 billion project to widen a stretch of the I-5 highway in California will commence at the end of 2017.  The project may well include a tunnel stretch under the Westfield UTC to meet environmental requirements. Once the work is complete, the newly widened highway stretch will feature increased capacity and this is expected to cut congestion and reduce journey times at peak periods. The project is moving ahead following the recent conclusion of a long term legal dispute concerning environmental aspects of the North Coast Corridor Program.