ORANGE – A new carpool lane in each direction of Interstate 5 in South Orange County is open to drivers this morning, marking the completion of a vital freeway improvement project that eases traffic congestion for tens of thousands of daily commuters through San Clemente, Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano.
The improvement project, led by the Orange County Transportation Authority in cooperation with Caltrans, adds nearly six miles of carpool lanes in each direction between Avenida Pico in San Clemente and San Juan Creek Road in San Juan Capistrano.
“It’s great to see the new lanes open and the improvements in place as we continue making it easier for residents and visitors who are traveling throughout the county,” said OCTA Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett, also the Fifth District County Supervisor. “On behalf of the board, I want to thank the community and the area businesses for their patience during construction.”
The project also improved freeway on-ramps and off-ramps in the area, enhanced safety by improving the southbound freeway curve near Pacific Coast Highway, and reconstructed the Avenida Pico interchange.
The improvements at Avenida Pico included widening the northbound on-ramp to three lanes, adding dual left-turn lanes from Pico to the northbound and southbound freeway ramps, and enhancing bicycle and pedestrian access and safety along Pico under the freeway.
Construction on the $230-million project began in early 2014 and was completed in three phases. Funding for the project came from Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements (also known as OC Go), and from a mix of state and federal funds.
The stretch of the I-5 in South Orange County was identified as a priority for improvements when voters overwhelmingly supported the renewal of Measure M, which was approved by 70 percent of voters in 2006.
That stretch of the I-5 is traveled by nearly 250,000 drivers each day and had been a notorious traffic bottleneck during rush hours and on weekends, when drivers traveled through the area to and from San Diego County.
The new carpool lanes create a continuous number of lanes – four general purpose and one carpool – in each direction, eliminating the need for vehicles to merge and weave.
While the bulk of the work is now complete, some intermittent closures of lanes may still be necessary as crews put the finishing touches on paving and striping through the area.
For updates, please visit www.octa.net/I5South.
