Orange Country Transportation Authority

San Diego Freeway (I-405) Improvement Project

Click here to zoom.

Today, the San Diego Freeway (I-405) is one of the most congested freeways in Orange County, carrying more than 300,000 vehicle trips in some sections each day. Traffic volumes on the I-405 are expected to increase significantly and the population is expected to grow 11 percent by 2040.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), is proposing to widen the San Diego Freeway (I-405) between State Route 73 (SR-73) and Interstate 605 (I-605). The purpose of the proposed improvement is to improve travel conditions for work, recreation, school, and commerce by increasing freeway capacity, improving traffic and interchange operations, and enhancing road safety to meet state and federal standards.

Draft Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement (DEIR/EIS)

As required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Caltrans, in cooperation with OCTA, is preparing an Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the I-405 Improvement Project. The EIR/EIS analyzes factors that include, but are not limited to, the following:  aesthetics, cultural resources, biological resources, hazardous wastes and materials, public services and facilities, water quality, floodplain, noise, air quality, recreation, community impacts, and transportation/traffic.

The I-405 Draft Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement (DEIR/EIS), released in May 2012, included three build alternatives as well as a No Build Alternative. The draft EIR/EIS document is available on Caltrans’ website at the following address:

 www.dot.ca.gov/dist12/405/index.php

Throughout the project development process, OCTA worked closely with a variety of stakeholders to keep them apprised of the project status and alternatives under consideration. During the DEIR/EIS public review period between May 18 and July 17, 2012, OCTA and Caltrans held four public hearings and received more than 1,200 comments. Each comment received during the public review process will be formally responded to in the Final EIR/EIS.

On October 22, 2012, the OCTA Board of Directors selected Alternative 1 as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). Alternative 1 meets the commitment promised to Orange County voters in Measure M2 to add one general purpose lane in each direction from Euclid Street to Interstate 605 (I-605) and improve interchanges within the project limits.

Circulation of the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement

During the initial DEIR/EIS public review period, Caltrans received comments on potential traffic impacts within the City of Long Beach. Caltrans prepared a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate the existing and future traffic flow conditions within the Los Angeles County traffic study area including at a minimum, demand, capacity and level of service for the mainline freeway and arterial street intersections within the City of Long Beach not considered in the Draft EIR/EIS.

The public will be provided a 45-day review period for the Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS beginning in June 2013. Reviewers are requested to limit their comments to only information that is provided in the Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS. Comments that are received on information included in the Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS will be responded to, and these responses will be provided in the Final EIR/EIS, along with responses to comments on the original Draft EIR/EIS.

For more information about the circulation click here.

Public Outreach  

Community outreach will continue through construction to inform the public about important project features and milestones and to respond to questions and concerns.