North Gate Road scheduled to open June 25

OCTA

North Gate Road is expected to reopen by Friday, June 25, as the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has finished utility construction related to the I-405 Improvement Project.

Crews anticipate returning to demolish and reconstruct the sound wall next to North Gate Road within the next year, according to Megan Abba, OCTA communications specialist.

OCTA built the existing sound wall on the north edge of Leisure World bordering the 405/22 freeways in 1999 for $2 million.

The I-405 Improvement Project team will update the community when construction of the new soundwall is scheduled.

North Gate Road has been closed since April 2020, when crews began building a sewer line underneath the 405 freeway. Unforeseen soil conditions halted the job in December and forced a project redesign.

The freeway sewer crossing is now complete.

The road provides the only access to LW’s North Gate and has been the site of several large construction projects, including a pipeline replacement completed by SoCalGas.

The $1.9 billion I-405 Improvement Project is adding one regular lane in each direction between Euclid Street and I-605, and a second lane in each direction in the center of the freeway from SR-73 to I-605 that will combine with the existing carpool lanes to form the 405 Express Lanes.

This segment of I-405 is one of the most heavily traveled stretches of highway in the nation, and drivers routinely face severe congestion in both the regular lanes and carpool lanes.

The project is critical to accommodate expected employment, population and housing growth throughout the region.