Significant portions of Interstate 5 (I-5), a north-south interstate along the West Coast, are currently being expanded, revitalized, and modernized. This will meet the needs of the growing population and contribute to the continuing prosperity of those communities.
On a section of I-5 that runs through Orange County in Southern California, the I-5 South County Improvements Project is more than 90 percent complete.
Approximately 360,000 cars travel through that freeway stretch, near the cities of Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, and San Juan Capistrano.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) began work on the $664 million I-5 South County Improvements Project in June 2019. This project will improve traffic flow on 6.5 miles of one of Southern California’s most heavily traveled sections of freeway.
The I-5 South County Improvements Project adds:
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- A new regular lane in each direction of I-5 between Avery Parkway to Alicia Parkway
- An extended second carpool lane from Alicia Parkway to El Toro Road in both directions as well as convert carpool lanes to continuous access
- Reconstructed and improved Avery Parkway and La Paz Road interchanges
- Improved and widened ramps that enter and exit the freeway
- The new Los Alisos Boulevard Bridge, including improved sidewalks and bicycle lanes
- New auxiliary lanes at seven locations
- New overhead signage
- New sound and retaining walls that include designs reflecting the ranching heritage of the local communities
The I-5 South County Improvements Project is largely funded by Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, also known as OC Go. Other funding is coming from a mix of state and federal funds.
The project sustained few hiccups, although minor construction delays and price increases escalated the overall cost of the project by nearly 15 percent from the originally contracted project cost of $581 million, according to OCTA. Since the start of the project in 2019, materials and labor costs have escalated beyond prediction.
According to OCTA, the overall scope of work did not change significantly since the groundbreaking. They said that there were minor changes, mainly due to varying field conditions that construction crews experienced once work began, and some delays caused by right of way acquisitions and utility relocations that caused some changes to construction sequencing. But the scope of the project changed very little.
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The project is about 90 percent complete and is being constructed in three distinct segments. The overall estimated construction schedule spans from 2019 to early 2025.
“This is one more example of OCTA delivering on our promises to voters when they approved Measure M and entrusted us with their tax dollars,” OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson said. “With previous improvements to I-5, south of the current project, this is the next step in ensuring OCTA meets the transportation needs of all those who live, work, and visit South Orange County.”
Throughout construction, OCTA and Caltrans are continuing to work together with motorists and stakeholders as well as their cities and county partners.
The biggest engineering challenge was building this large-scale project while keeping traffic flowing and disrupting freeway and street traffic as little as possible.
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During construction, freeway lanes on I-5 remained open, which resulted in challenges when quickly establishing K-rail zones and safe and efficient work areas, as traffic continued to flow all around the work sites.
The project included three bridge reconstructions. OCTA and the contractor wanted to minimize traffic disruptions, so when it came to replacing the I-5 bridge over La Paz Road, the contractor constructed the bridge in three phases to maintain freeway and local street access during construction.
For the third phase, crews built the bridge approximately 2.5 feet higher than its final height to accommodate falsework, which is a temporary system of steel beams and timber used to support a bridge during construction. This creative solution ensured minimum clearance for traffic under the bridge so traffic could remain open during construction.
It took several cranes and a team of 20 carpenters to meticulously lower the bridge, which weighed 3 million pounds. The process took eight hours and allowed for partial access to and from I-5 while work was being completed.
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Another challenge and a major surprise was the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected working conditions and supply chains globally.
“Of course, because this was considered essential work, the hardworking men and women who built this project never stopped working,” a representative from OCTA said.
The pandemic also led to increased material and labor costs on this project, as it did on most every construction project.
In addition, OCTA experienced typical challenges related to coordination with third-party utility agencies, weather during the particularly rainy seasons, and varying site conditions.
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But the final big challenge OCTA experienced was finding a way to strategically stage construction between three contractors in three separate segments to the project.
The project is broken up into three segments, with a different contractor and construction management team spearheading each segment. The three segments are the following:
- Contractor: Ortiz Enterprises
- Construction Management: Arcadis
- Anticipated Completion: Early 2025
Ortiz Enterprises, Inc. is an experienced highway construction company and equal opportunity employer based out Irvine, California. Established in 1986, the company now provides services for a variety of freeway, flood control, commercial projects, and bridges.
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On this project, Ortiz Enterprises performed the work at Crown Valley Parkway and Avery Parkway.
At Crown Valley Parkway, the company modified five on- and off-ramps; added a northbound and southbound general purpose lane, major and minor retaining walls, and a concrete barrier; converted the carpool lanes to continuous access; reestablished existing auxiliary lanes; and added new auxiliary lanes.
At Avery Parkway, the company improved all on- and off-ramps, added a northbound and southbound general purpose lane, extended the second carpool lane from Alicia Parkway to El Toro Road in both directions, reconstructed the interchange, added new retaining walls, converted carpool lanes to continuous access, reestablished existing auxiliary lanes, and added new auxiliary lanes.
Ortiz Enterprises, Arcadis, and Caltrans received the Gold Award for Partnering Success in Motion on the I-5 Avery Parkway project.
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- Contractor: Flatiron
- Construction Management: HDR, Inc.
- Completion: October 2024
Flatiron is a wholly owned subsidiary of HOCHTIEF and is managed by Flatiron’s Executive Team. HOCHTIEF delivers complex infrastructure projects and operates in the transportation infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and social/urban infrastructure segments, as well as in the contract mining business.
Flatiron was responsible for the work at Oso Parkway and Alicia Parkway.
At Oso Parkway, the company added a northbound and southbound general purpose lane, reconstructed La Paz Road Interchange, added sound and retaining walls, converted carpool lanes to continuous access, reestablished existing auxiliary lanes, and added new auxiliary lanes.
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At Alicia Parkway, the company added a northbound and southbound general purpose lane, modified six on- and off-ramps, added sound and retaining walls, converted carpool lanes to continuous access, reestablished existing auxiliary lanes, and added new auxiliary lanes.
Flatiron completed this project while working above active roadways and busy passenger and freight rail lines, while maintaining traffic in both directions of the interstate with minimal interruptions to commuters.
According to the company, their teams have constructed seven bridges in three locations, 22 retaining walls, large-scale paving operations, and significant improvements to drainage and electrical infrastructure, which sometimes required embracing innovative engineering solutions to accommodate construction of these new structures.
- Contractor: Atkinson Construction
- Construction Management: Jacobs
- Anticipated Completion: Early 2025
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Atkinson Construction, based out of Parkland County, Alberta, Canada, is a design-build contractor. Atkinson performed the work at Alicia Parkway and El Toro Road.
At Alicia Parkway, the company extended the carpool lane from Alicia Lane to El Toro Road, modified on- and off-ramps at Alicia Parkway, added retaining walls, converted carpool lanes to continuous access lanes, reestablished existing auxiliary lanes, and added new auxiliary lanes.
At El Toro Road, the company extended the second carpool lane from Alicia Lane and El Toro Road, reconstructed Los Alisos Boulevard Bridge, added retaining walls, converted carpool lanes to continuous access, reestablished existing auxiliary lanes, and added new auxiliary lanes.
