Transportation officials on Wednesday, April 16, marked the completion of a $687 million 5 Freeway project that added new lanes and rebuilt several interchanges in South County, saying drivers can start enjoying the benefits after years of construction in the congested stretch.
“I know firsthand how important this freeway behind me is to the everyday lives of our residents here in South County,” said Orange County Transportation Authority board member and Dana Point Councilmember Jamey Federico at a ceremony. “Whether it’s students going to school, workers commuting to their jobs or visitors coming down to see our beaches, the I-5 is really the backbone of transit in South Orange County.”
Called the I-5 Freeway Improvement Project, the construction work spanned from El Toro Road to State Route 73. It added new lanes in each direction between Avery Parkway to Alicia Parkway and a second carpool lane from Alicia Parkway to El Toro Road.
The project began construction in June 2019, budgeted then at $581 million. Funding for the project was driven by the local half-cent sales tax from Measure M, with support from the state’s SB 1 and federal infrastructure bills.
Delivering remarks in front of the freeway, Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chaffee, who is chair this year of the OCTA’s board of directors, referred to the flowing road noise overhead as “music” and not like the traffic he was accustomed to being stuck in on the freeway.
“The project is part of a broader promise we made to voters through Measure M,” he said. “A promise to reduce congestion, improve connectivity and support sustainable economic growth across all of Orange County.”
The 5 Freeway in the stretch of the project sees around 390,000 vehicles traveling it each day and goes through the cities of Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel.
The updated carpool lanes have been converted to continuous access, allowing carpoolers to enter and exit as they please.
Along with the new lanes, several interchanges and ramps were rebuilt and decorative retaining walls were added to represent South County’s ranching heritage.
New interchanges rebuilt include La Paz Road, Avery Parkway and Los Alisos Boulevard and more than 33 on-and off-ramps were modified throughout the project.
While the bulk of the project is finished with all the freeway lanes now open, some work on landscaping and electrical systems around the freeway will continue, officials said.
But more construction on the 5 Freeway is coming. Along more than 9 miles from just before the El Toro Y north to the 55 Freeway, OCTA is planning to build a new general lane in each direction and convert the HOV lanes that are separated to continuous access. It’ll cost $716 million and won’t be done until 2030.
Caltrans is also looking to add express lanes on the 5 Freeway from Red Hill Avenue to the north county line.
OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson said workers encountered issues over the project’s five years of construction, including the pandemic and extra rainy years, but were still able to deliver completion on time.
Long term, Johnson said Orange County is still growing, but the rate of growth is less than it has been in the past and the population is getting older.
“We still need to accommodate our future growth,” Johnson said. “But when we look farther forward, maybe 25 years or 45 years forward, we are going to be a built-out county, our housing stock is going to be basically solidified. We are going to look at probably different investments. It might include more transit. It might include more walkability and probably more express lanes on freeways in the long term.”
Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley, who is also an OCTA board member, noted the new lanes come in time for the 2028 Olympics, when athletes and spectators will be traveling to the Honda Center in Anaheim to see volleyball and Lower Trestles near San Clemente for surfing.
Johnson said the Olympics will allow OCTA to leverage rail and HOV lanes throughout the county, and more ideas for how to move visitors around will be developed as planning gets more detailed.
“We’re looking forward to working with LA28 and looking at how they envision getting people to these really important events in Orange County,” Johnson said.