But, if you'll note my post above, not necessarily FASTER than they would have.
CALTRANS, for all the slings and arrows that people occasionally throw its way, is probably the best-run of all the state highway departments - an oddity in CA state goverment. CalTrans pioneered a number of innovations, not the least of which is debunking the age-old idea that all freeway entrance and exit ramps had to be part of massive cloverleaf interchanges. Lots of freeway entrances and exits were constructed with minimum land-taking by snaking them for a block or so thru neighborhoods and alleys. Saved a LOT on land acquisition costs. They also came up with the incentive program that many states now use that gets big projects done early and under-budget. The earthquakes were the impetus on that one. Remember 1-10? The contractor ran double and triple shifts around the clock and brought the reconstruction in over 200 days EARLY and 'way under budget - and earned huge incentives.
Of course, no organization is perfect, and with all the maze-like interchanges CA has, it's no wonder that this particular one wouldn't be especially well-marked.
BUT - as you say, it ain't ART.
Michael