Open new lanes on State Route 57 (SR-57)
A new eight-mile lane was completed in December as part of the SR-57 Northbound Improvement Project that accomodates a daily traffic volume of approximately 158,000 vehicles and expands a vital link for residents and businesses.
● A five-mile span between approximately State Route 91 (SR-91) and Lambert Road was completed in mid-2014.
● In November, a three-mile northbound general-purpose lane opened between Katella Avenue and Lincoln Avenue. This segment eases traffic near top entertainment and travel destinations.
Break ground on Interstate 5 (I-5) projects
Divided into three segments, the I-5 South County Improvement Project will add approximately six miles of carpool lanes from San Juan Creek Road to Avenida Pico to help relieve congestion within the cities of San Clemente, Dana Point, and San Juan Capistrano.
● Two segments—San Juan Creek Road to Pacific Coast Highway, and Pacific Coast Highway to Avenida Vista Hermosa—broke ground in 2014.
Open the West County Connectors Project
After four years of construction, all segments of the West County Connectors Project opened to traffic in December. The $297 million project created direct connectors between the carpool lanes on three major freeways and added six miles of carpool lanes. Drivers are now able to seamlessly transition between Interstate 405 (I-405), Interstate 605 (I-605) and State Route 22 (SR-22) without having to exit the carpool lanes.
Meet I-405 milestones
The San Diego Freeway (I-405) Improvement Project between State Route 55 (SR-55) and I‑605 is designed to ease traffic on one of the nation’s busiest freeways. This stretch of the I-405 carries more than 370,000 cars a day and that number is expected to increase approximately 35 percent by 2040.
● OCTA continued to move forward with this project throughout the year.
● Preliminary engineering work was initiated and the Board approved the release of the request for proposals (RFP) for construction management consultant services and the request for qualifications (RFQ) for design-build teams.
Other freeway accomplishments
● The environmental report was released for the I-5 widening project between the SR-55 and the SR-57.
● The I-5/Ortega Highway Project is in the final year of construction following the rebuilding of the Ortega Highway bridge and reconstruction of the off-ramp.
● The I-5 widening project from Oso Parkway to Alicia Parkway entered the design phase in late October.
Continue progress on the 91 Express Lanes
Construction began in early 2014 on an eight-mile extension of the 91 Express Lanes into Riverside. Led by the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), this project is made possible in part by an operating agreement between OCTA, RCTC, and Cofiroute (operator of the 91 Express Lanes) that will save OCTA approximately $9 million over five years.