Zipping to work will get easier for this reader … eventually

Q. I commute from my house in Rancho Cucamonga to my office in Garden Grove. To get into the 91 Express Lanes from the 15 Freeway, I have to take the 15 south past the 91, exit the freeway and get back on going north before entering the westbound 91 Express Lanes. Or go east on the 91 before exiting and flipping around. Going home is also very inconvenient. Are there any plans for a direct connector for the 91 Express Lanes and the 15 Freeway above the 91?

– Andy Tran, Rancho Cucamonga

A. Whew!

Visualizing those maneuvers makes Honk’s head hurt.

Yes, help is on the way, although a solution won’t arrive real soon.

“There is a project to build a direct connector as he describes,” said John Standiford, deputy executive director with the Riverside County Transportation Commission.

But first the 15 Express Lanes are to be built. Construction is underway on that 15-mile tollway along the 15 Freeway and is to be completed in about a year. Two years later, a connector ramp will link the siblings, the 15 Express Lanes and the 91 Express Lanes.

You should be able to zip to work then, Andy.

If you want to save some coins, you will be able to just take the segment of the 15 Express Lanes near that connector ramp so you can make smooth transitions, and use the regular 15 Freeway the rest of the way; the 15 Express Lanes will have multiple places to enter and exit.

Q. I believe the state just recently passed, and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed, a bill that waives the $5 fee to get “VETERAN” on your California driver license or your Department of Motor Vehicles-issued ID card.

– C. Wellington, Fullerton

A. Honk thanks you, sir or madam.

C. was referring to a recent dandy column, when Honk explained how veterans of the U.S. armed forces can get that distinction put on their driver license or ID – a move that can, at times, get the bearer a discount at a store or a restaurant.

For most vets, like Honk had mentioned, it costs $5 on top of any other fee, such as that for a new or replaced license or ID.

Honk didn’t know about the waiver until C. told him. He then slipped on a pair of gumshoes and went out to look into the matter.

Indeed, as of July 1, veterans who are homeless or have a low income do not need to pay that five bucks. In fact, C., the new law was authored by Sharon Quirk-Silva, an assemblywoman from your hometown.

Five bucks isn’t a big break, of course, but it does show our appreciation for those who served.

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.