On July 2, new high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes opened in both directions of the SR-56 freeway between El Camino Real and Carmel Valley Road. The $28 million project aims to improve traffic flow on the busy thoroughfare and, hopefully, keep people from using local streets to get around freeway traffic. “Improving regional mobility and providing transportation options is the priority of this project,” said District 11 Director Ann Fox in a news release. “In addition to the new HOV lanes, this project will create a facility that supports future transit options and other multi-modal options.” Work kicked off last spring on the expansion project, repurposing the existing median in the 2.2-mile stretch between El Camino Real and the Gonzales Creek Bridge, just west of Carmel Valley Road. The new lanes will be reserved for buses, vehicles with at least two passengers to encourage more carpooling, motorcycles and clean air stickered vehicles. The project also included the completion last spring of the long-awaited extension of the SR-56 bike path, providing a missing link under I-5, safely connecting riders to the 30-mile North Coast bike trail and the Sorrento Valley Transit Station. Phase 2 of long-term improvements on the 56 is currently unfunded—those plans include building a direct connector from westbound SR-56 to northbound I-5, replacing the Del Mar Heights Road overcrossing and constructing an additional westbound lane on the 56.