Crews are also scheduled to close the Talbert Avenue and Bushard Street bridges in Fountain Valley on Aug. 29 to prepare for demolition
ORANGE – Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists traveling along Slater Avenue in Fountain Valley will see an easier commute later this week when the bridge over I-405 reopens to traffic on Thursday night, Aug. 29, after a year-long closure as part of the I-405 Improvement Project.
The Slater Avenue bridge was fully demolished in September and reconstructed in less than a year. It is the first of 18 bridges to be built, widened or replaced as part of the I-405 Improvement Project, which will speed up travel times on I-405 between Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles County line, an area traveled by more than 370,000 vehicles a day.
In addition, the Bushard Street and Talbert Avenue bridges over I-405 in Fountain Valley are scheduled to close to traffic on Aug. 29 for approximately one year so they can be demolished and reconstructed as part of the project. The bridges will not close until the Slater Avenue bridge reopens.
The Talbert Avenue bridge will be widened to six lanes from four, and bike lanes and sidewalks will be added in both directions. The Bushard Street bridge will continue to have four lanes, along with sidewalks and bike lanes in each direction.
The $1.9 billion I-405 Improvement Project will add one regular lane in each direction between Euclid Street and I-605, and a second lane in each direction in the center of the freeway from SR-73 to I-605 that will combine with the existing carpool lanes to form the 405 Express Lanes.
This 16-mile segment of I-405 is one of the most heavily traveled stretches of highway in the nation, and both the regular lanes and carpool lanes are heavily congested during rush hour and on weekends. The project is critical to accommodate expected employment, population and housing growth throughout the region.
The speed limit on I-405 has been reduced to 55 mph between SR-73 and I-605 for the safety of drivers and construction crews for the duration of the project, which is expected to be completed in 2023. Drivers are advised to slow down and proceed with caution whenever signs of highway work are present, and drivers whose vehicles become disabled should pull off at the nearest exit, if possible.
Construction updates, including the latest closure and detour information, are available on the project’s interactive map at octa.net/405map or on the new project mobile app. To download the free app, search for 405 Improvement in the App Store or Google Play.
