Planning is underway to provide traffic relief to Orange County’s southern most communities along I-5, part of an ongoing effort to ease freeway congestion for residents, workers and visitors through South County.
OCTA, in partnership with Caltrans, is studying improvements to approximately 3.4 miles of I-5 between the Avenida Pico Interchange and the border with San Diego County.
The project is currently in the environmental phase and OCTA is seeking input from residents and other community stakeholders to determine what improvements, if any, should be made. The two alternatives being studied are:
- A no-build alternative
- Extending one high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction of I-5. This alternative would also implement ramp improvements where feasible and auxiliary lanes throughout the corridor and would include features to maximize traffic flow.
Two public meetings are planned to discuss the project alternatives and to solicit public input.:
- In-Person Meeting, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on July 28
Triton Center, San Clemente High School, 700 Avenida Pico, San Clemente, CA 92673 - Virtual Meeting, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 2
Online at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-IjZdO2zSzy6mvYdDoPgnA
A court reporter will transcribe comments during the meetings.
In addition, comments can be submitted until 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 15 in these formats:
- Email to I-5HOVSouthCounty@dot.ca.govwith the subject line “I-5 Improvement Project from the County Line to Avenida Pico”.
- Regular mail to: Jayna Harris, Associate/Senior Environmental Planner, 20 Executive Park, Suite 200, Irvine, CA 92614
The current environmental phase of the project is federally funded, with funding for future design and construction phases to be determined. The project is scheduled for the draft environmental document phase by mid-2023, with construction potentially beginning in 2030.
More information on the I-5 project from Avenida Pico to the County Line in San Clemente is available here.