Octa's transportation blog

I-5 Improvements in South County Will Ease Congestion, Add Carpool Lanes

The I-5 South County Improvements Project continues to move forward as it widens 6.5 miles of the freeway between SR-73 and El Toro Road.

All three segments of the project are now under construction and are expected to be completed in 2025. Funding for the project comes from OC Go, also known as Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.

Improvements include:

  • Adding one regular lane in both directions between Avery and Alicia parkways to ease congestion
  • Extending the second carpool lane in both directions between Alicia Parkway and El Toro Road to improve the flow of traffic
  • Widening sidewalks and adding regular lanes and bike lanes to the Avery Parkway and La Paz Road interchanges, and the Los Alisos Boulevard overcrossing
  • Adding auxiliary lanes to help traffic smoothly enter and exit the freeway
  • Improving on- and off-ramps to increase capacity
  • Converting carpool lanes to continuous access, allowing drivers to enter or exit at any point along the route

For more information about the project, visit here.