The freeway closure between El Toro Road and Alicia Parkway is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday near Lake Forest, Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo
ORANGE – South Orange County drivers and residents should plan for detours and be aware of possible delays from a scheduled overnight Saturday closure of Interstate 5 in both directions between El Toro Road and Alicia Parkway, near Lake Forest, Laguna Hills and Mission Viejo.
The full closure of lanes is scheduled from 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, to 6 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, as part of the I-5 South County Improvements Project (SR-73 to El Toro Road).
Drivers are asked to plan ahead, consider alternate routes and avoid the area during those hours, if possible.
The closure is necessary to demolish the first half of the Los Alisos Boulevard bridge over the I-5 freeway; a new bridge is being built in two stages to accommodate the widening of the freeway.
Traffic on Los Alisos has already been shifted to the half of the bridge that will remain, in preparation for demolition of the other half. The entire Los Alisos bridge also will be closed to traffic during the demolition hours.
Traffic detours will be in place on local streets to help drivers avoid the work area, with northbound freeway traffic being detoured at La Paz Road and Alicia Parkway, and southbound traffic being detoured at El Toro Road.
OCTA has been working with city leaders and first responders for affected cities and notifying nearby residents and businesses to limit disruptions as much as possible.
The freeway is scheduled to reopen to traffic in both directions by 6 a.m. on Sunday.
Overall, the I-5 South County Improvements Project, which began in 2019, is improving the freeway between SR-73 and El Toro Road. The $595 million project through San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, and Laguna Woods, will add a regular lane in each direction and extend a second carpool lane between Alicia Parkway and El Toro Road.
The 6.5-mile stretch of freeway is heavily traveled by 360,000 drivers each day. Funding for the project comes from Measure M, the local half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, also known as OC Go.
The I-5 South County improvements are expected to be finished in 2025. For more information, visit www.octa.net/i5south.
