OCTA puts the brakes on roadwork countywide for Christmas and New Year’s
ORANGE – Drivers traveling throughout Orange County during the next couple of weeks will enjoy smoother commutes as construction work and associated closures will be halted for the holidays.
Ongoing overnight freeway closures associated with the 91 Express Lanes will not take place Dec. 22 through the new year, when regular construction schedules will resume.
Construction work at the Avenida Pico Interchange on the I-5 is also taking a break Dec. 23-26 and Dec. 30-Jan. 2.
Lane closures around the O.C. Bridges projects will continue as scheduled, except for on Monday, Dec. 26 and Monday, Jan. 2, which are federally recognized holidays.
OCTA buses and Metrolink trains will operate on a special holiday schedule on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. OCTA will also be offering free bus rides from 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, Dec. 31 to 2:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Sunday, Jan. 1. To view the schedules, visit octa.net/ebusbook and 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 have successfully finished repaving the 91 Express Lanes, which run for 10 miles on the SR-91 between the SR-55 and the Orange County border with Riverside County.
While the major weekend work is done, periodic nighttime and off-peak closures are expected through February to put the finishing touches on the entire project.
The 91 Express Lanes is traveled by more than 12 million drivers every year. 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.
Drivers are encouraged to look for construction updates at octa.net/91weekendshift.
- I-5 South Improvements – Crews have been hard at work driving steel piles for the foundation of a new bridge over Avenida Pico, which is expected to continue through early January.
After the holidays, a daytime lane closure is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 6 on northbound I-5 at Camino de Estrella. The closure will allow crews to complete paving in the area, which must be done during the day because of temperature requirements.
Also on Jan. 6, the loop on-ramp from westbound Pacific Coast Highway to southbound I-5 will close for nine days so it can be realigned to accommodate the widened freeway.
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 will also reconstruct the interchange at Avenida Pico, including widening the northbound on-ramp there to three lanes and providing dual left-turn lanes on both on-ramps.
For updates, visit octa.net/I5south.
- 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.
For additional information, visit 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.
