POSTED: 2:51 pm PST February 26, 2007

UPDATED: 6:20 pm PST February 26, 2007

LOS ANGELES -- One week after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa went to Sacramento to lobby for more transportation money, state officials recommended Monday that funds be earmarked for a carpool lane on the San Diego (405) Freeway.

Southland lawmakers were angered two weeks ago when the California Transportation Commission's staff announced its Proposition 1B funding recommendations, which did not include the San Diego Freeway carpool lane or a similar project on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway between the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway and Orange County line.

In a letter to commissioners Monday, the panel's executive director, John F. Barna, announced the recommended funding for the two Los Angeles County projects. The San Diego Freeway carpool lane project will receive $730 million and the widening project on the Santa Ana Freeway will receive $387 million.

"Over the last week staff has undertaken a review of project nominations as you directed," Barna wrote in the letter. "We have reconsidered projects based on consultations with many regional agencies and Caltrans, written information from project nominators and Governor (Arnold) Schwarzenegger's letter to the commission."

Villaraigosa credited "the outpouring of public support for relief on the 405" for breaking "the gridlock in Sacramento."

"We still have a mile to go in fully funding vital local projects, and I urge all commuters to keep the pedal to the floor," Villaraigosa said.

The commission is expected to vote on the recommendations Wednesday during a meeting in Irvine.

Assemblyman Tony Mendoza, D-Norwalk, said residents in his district have complained for years about the congestion on the Santa Ana Freeway.

"I applaud the CTC staff and the commission for apparently listening to the community and its elected leaders," Mendoza said.

"My goal is to see an end to the I-5 bottleneck that negatively affects the families in my district on a daily basis. I am advised that full funding on the I-5 widening project is now probable and we should all wait and keep a watchful eye on the decision of the CTC on Wednesday."

Last week, Villaraigosa, Supervisor Gloria Molina and Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, went to Sacramento to lobby for money they said was essential to help alleviate the region's traffic congestion. They were particularly insistent about the need for the carpool lane on the northbound San Diego Freeway, stretching between the Santa Monica (10) and Ventura (101) freeways.

In a conference call with reporters, Barna downplayed the effect of Villaraigosa's visit to Sacramento.

"I haven't read a paper for about a week so I'm not really all that concerned about what people have been saying in the papers," Barna said.

"I don't know if political pressure had a whole lot to do with what we wanted to invest in in Los Angeles County. We've always acknowledged that the 405 northbound HOV lane was one of the poster children for (funding). We had some challenges understanding how the project was suppose to unfold."

Commission officials were originally told construction on the project would begin in 2011, and not 2009 as scheduled.

Some Los Angeles County projects that were originally recommended for funding were left off of the updated list because of the decision to fund the 405 carpool lane.

That decision leaves San Gabriel Valley residents without the resources to combat congestion, Supervisor Gloria Molina said.

"Just as commuters on the 405 and 5 freeways endure significant traffic congestion each day, the 10 freeway creates unbearable traffic congestion and pollution for many of the very voters who voted for Proposition 1B," Molina said.

"The San Gabriel Valley must receive its fair share. Otherwise, it will be that much more difficult to convince them to support transportation bonds in future elections."

Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, agreed.

"I'm outraged that the CTC has failed yet again to include the 605-10 interchange on its list of freeway funding projects," Solis said.

"This is one of the most congested, most dangerous interchanges in the state and yet the CTC doesn't think it's a priority. It's time for Governor Schwarzenegger to weigh on behalf of the thousands of residents, commuters and taxpayers who travel through this dangerous interchange every day in support of improvements to the 605-10 interchange."

Roger Snoble, chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, also expressed some disappointment in the commission's decision.

"The revised recommendations are a step in the right direction and we remain hopeful that other important congestion mitigation projects along the I- 10 and I-5 will get the attention they need to become reality," Snoble said.