WHAT
Media is invited to attend the Orange County Transportation Authority event to commemorate the opening of the I-405 Improvement Project on Friday, Dec. 1, to improve drivers’ commutes along one of the busiest highways in the nation.
In cooperation with Caltrans, the project – between Costa Mesa and the Orange County border with Los Angeles County – added one regular lane in each direction, as promised to voters through Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation.
In addition, the project created the 405 Express Lanes between SR-73 and I-605. Operated by OCTA, the 405 Express Lanes gives options to carpoolers to travel for free and solo drivers the choice to speed up their commute for a toll.
All regular lanes and the 405 Express Lanes are expected to be open for the Friday morning commute.
The project also improved streets and freeway on- and off-ramps throughout the cities along the 16-mile project area and 18 bridges were reconstructed, many of which include new sidewalks and bike lanes.
Media is invited to attend this event to join local and state officials in celebrating the completion of the project, which broke ground in 2018.
WHEN
10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 1
WHERE
IKEA parking lot, 1475 S. Coast Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
WHO
Scheduled speakers include:
- OCTA Chairman Gene Hernandez, also the Mayor of Yorba Linda
- State Senator Dave Min
- Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris
- Former Assemblyman Tom Daly
- OCTA Vice Chairman Tam Nguyen
- OCTA Director Andrew Do, also Orange County’s First District Supervisor
- OCTA Director Katrina Foley, also Orange County’s Fifth District Supervisor
- OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson
- California Transportation Commission Chair Lee Ann Eager
- Caltrans District 12 Acting Director Mario Orso
WHY
I-405 in northwest Orange County is one of the most heavily traveled highways in the nation, with more than 370,000 vehicles a day. The project will improve travel times for drivers who routinely faced severe congestion in both the regular lanes and the carpool lanes, and accommodate the expected growth in employment, population and housing throughout the region.
The $2.16 billion I-405 Improvement Project is a cornerstone of fulfilling the promises made to voters through Measure M. The project is financed with a combination of local, state and federal funds, with the majority of funding from Measure M.
The 405 Express Lanes portion of the project is funded by a federal Transportation Infrastructure and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan. The loan will be repaid solely by drivers who choose to pay a toll.
