Construction on the project began in November 2009 and involved adding a lane and widening the section's existing two lanes and shoulders. As a result, the six miles between California 241 and California 71 near Corona will be safer due to improved traffic flow, according to FHWA.

California 91 is the only freeway connecting Orange and Riverside counties. An estimated 300,000 daily drivers now rely on the route, but that number is expected to climb to 425,000 over the next 20 years. It is also a key commercial corridor because of its access to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

"The traffic tie-ups on this section of [California] 91 near Coal Creek are legendary," Mendez said in a statement. "Solving this problem and keeping it on schedule and on budget will give time back to area residents so they can spend that time doing things they enjoy instead of spending it in their cars."

"It's exciting that we're getting to the point when some of the projects supported by the recovery act are opening for business," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote on his blog Tuesday. "We're seeing just what those funds helped make possible in the Golden State and across America, and the work on [California] 91 is a terrific example."

The California Department of Transportation, Orange County Transportation Authority, and the Riverside County Transportation Commission participated in the project, which is estimated to save eastbound drivers 15 minutes per trip, giving commuters back more than an hour of their lives each week.

"We all want to spend more time with family and friends, and less time stuck in traffic," Mendez said at the ribbon-cutting. "And that’s what this new section of [California] 91 will help people do."