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What catches your eye while tooling along a freeway?

March 27, 2026

Q: OK, not really a traffic question: But just south of the 91 Freeway near a Shoemaker Avenue off-ramp is a waterfall-ish feature that has been shut off for years. What’s the history of it? Who owns it? Could it ever come back on?

– John Billings, Long Beach

A: Everybody’s got them.

Honk’s: the massive American flag off of the 91 in Bellflower that always brought a smile to his late father’s handsome face; the painting of the Liberty Bell and “1776-1976” celebrating the bicentennial on the Prado Dam spillway in the Corona area; a nearby cross on a tall hill; and those waterworks, John.

Stuff to give a half-second glance to while driving by, prompting memories, a smile, or continued curiosity.

That man-made fountain has been there for about 30 years. It sits on Caltrans land and was constructed by the city of Cerritos as part of the Cerritos Towne Center development, said Scott Harvey, a city spokesman.

The city maintains it.

“Unfortunately, the feature has been out of service for approximately two years,” Harvey told Honk in an email. “This is due to needed repairs to the pipe that feeds the fountain. Additionally, the cement liner of the feature needs to be removed and repoured.

“Presently, due to budget constraints, there is no timeline for the repair and when operation to the fountain feature will be restored,” he said. “At this time, there is no estimate on the repair costs.”

Q: Hi Honk: I have a question about the construction on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach at Brookhurst and Magnolia streets for pedestrian and cyclist improvements. Construction was started a few months ago, blocking off the right-turn lanes from PCH to those two streets, and then the work stopped. It’s been that way for a couple of months now. Is the work going to restart soon?

– Mike Iglesias, Costa Mesa

A: Yes, in the next couple of weeks, Nathan Abler, a Caltrans spokesman for Orange County, told Honk.

A $10.7 million project is installing bike lanes on PCH in each direction, and making other improvements, from the Santa Ana River bridge to Anderson Street, an 8-mile stretch. The right-turn lanes had to be widened at the intersections you mention, Mike, and at Warner Avenue. Improvements will be made to make it easier to walk in those three spots as well.

At Brookhurst and Magnolia streets, construction was stopped so nearby birds that were nesting weren’t bothered. After the baby birds were born and left, the workers could return.

“The Caltrans environmental team inspected the area recently and determined that the work can resume at these locations,” Abler said in an email. “The contractor expects to resume work in the next couple of weeks. The project is expected to be completed (by) March 2027.”

Because of different chores that need to be done on the project, it is unclear when those turn lanes will return to action.

HONKIN’ FACT: Of the 4,061 people killed on California highways and roads in 2023 in collisions, 158 were caused at least in part by distracted driving, according to UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center. The number of deaths involving drivers with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or higher was 1,355, according to a state agency.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

Orange County Register

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What catches your eye while tooling along a freeway?

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