Caltrans and OCTA are seeking public input on proposed alternatives for improving the El Toro Road interchange at the I-5 freeway near the border of Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, and Lake Forest.
The project goal is to reduce traffic congestion on the freeway and surrounding streets by improving on-ramps and off-ramps and optimizing traffic signal operations to keep traffic moving. Currently in the environmental review and preliminary engineering phase, the I-5 El Toro interchange project is part of OC Go (also known as Measure M), Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.
A draft report that reviews the potential environmental impacts of various design alternatives is available for review online at the Caltrans District 12 website http://dot.ca.gov/d12. The public is invited to review the draft and submit comments on it through May 3.
If a design alternative is approved, the project would still need to go through a design phase and full funding would need to be identified. Currently, construction isn’t scheduled to begin until 2027.
For more information on the project, visit www.octa.net/i5eltoro.