Extended Freeway Closure On I-5 This Weekend

ORANGE – As part of the I-5 Gateway project, an extended full freeway closure will take place this weekend on the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) from the Riverside Freeway (SR-91) to Artesia Boulevard.
Both directions will close beginning at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19. On Sunday, Dec. 20, the southbound lanes will remain fully closed until 7 a.m. and the northbound lanes until 9 a.m.
The extended closure is necessary to re-stripe the new lanes on the freeway. Work beginning is contingent on weather conditions.
Detours will be clearly marked and motorists traveling northbound may get around the closure by taking the SR-91 west to the I-605 north to the I-5 north. Southbound traffic can exit Artesia Boulevard toward Knott Avenue and travel south to the SR-91 east to the I-5 south.
The $325 million I-5 Gateway project is adding two lanes in each direction, reconstructing bridges and on- and off-ramps in a two-mile stretch between the SR-91 and the county line. The project, which broke ground in 2006, is scheduled for completion in fall 2010.
When completed, the I-5 Gateway project will help ease congestion on the stretch of freeway traveled by an average of 172,000 vehicles a day. Traffic is expected to grow to more than 300,000 average daily vehicles by 2020.
For more information regarding the project, visit www.octa.net/i5gateway or call the Transportation Helpline at (800) 724-0353.