ORANGE – Drivers across Orange County traveling to and from Thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends will enjoy smoother commutes over the holiday weekend as construction work and associated closures are postponed.
Ongoing freeway closures associated with the 91 Express Lanes and I-5 South projects and lane closures around the O.C. Bridges projects will not take place between Wednesday, Nov. 23 through the morning of Monday, Nov. 28, when regular construction schedules will resume.
OCTA buses and Metrolink will operate on a special holiday schedule on Thanksgiving. To view the schedules, visit: www.octa.net/ebusbook and www.metrolinktrains.com.
The transportation projects represent more than $700 million in improvements and when completed, will enhance traffic flow and safety for hundreds of thousands of drivers that travel along Orange County’s freeways and roads daily.
Ongoing projects that are meeting significant milestones this year include:
- 91 Express Lanes – Construction crews are working over 10 weekends to repave the Express Lanes, which run for 10 miles on the SR-91 between the SR-55 and the Orange County border with Riverside County.
The weekend construction work on hold over Thanksgiving weekend will resume the weekend of Dec. 2-5, when the westbound Express Lanes will close. Drivers are asked to plan ahead, use alternate routes such as the SR-71, SR-60 and I-10, and avoid the area if possible because travel times could be double or more of what is typical for weekend traffic.
The 91 Express Lanes is traveled by more than 12 million drivers every year and it’s vital that this pavement work is completed to maintain the safety and efficiency of the lanes. Asphalt on highways in Southern California needs to be replaced approximately every 20 years and the 91 Express Lanes has not been repaved since its opening in 1995.
Funding for the $24.4 million project comes from money set aside from tolls paid by drivers of the 91 Express Lanes. No taxpayer dollars are being used to fund the project.
The schedule is subject to change and drivers are encouraged to look for construction updates at octa.net/91weekendshift.
- I-5 South Improvements – Crews have been hard at work demolishing the remainder of the existing bridge over Avenida Pico and repaving freeway lanes as they continue to work on widening the freeway.
Crews working on the I-5 South improvements will resume work on the morning of Monday, Nov. 28.
Overall, the project which runs about six miles from Avenida Pico in San Clemente to San Juan Creek Road in San Juan Capistrano, will add a carpool lane in each direction along that span of freeway.
The $230 million project also will reconstruct the interchange at Avenida Pico, including widening the northbound on-ramp there to three lanes and providing dual left-turn lanes to both on-ramps.
For updates, visit octa.net/i5south.
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O.C. Bridges – This $664 million program includes seven grade separations in Fullerton, Placentia and Anaheim, allowing for drivers to travel without having to stop for the 70 daily freight trains that use the Orangethorpe Corridor.
Four projects have opened to traffic. Three more projects at Lakeview Avenue, State College Boulevard and Raymond Avenue are currently under construction. Some work may continue behind construction barriers, but no additional lane closures are scheduled.
For additional information, visit www.ocbridges.com.
For more information or to sign up to receive construction alerts, the public can visit any of the above websites or call the construction helpline at (800) 724-0353.
