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I-405 CONSTRUCTION
Why are improvements needed on I-405?
The I-405 freeway experiences heavy traffic congestion and conditions are expected to worsen. Built in the 1960s, the freeway carries between 257,000 and 370,000 vehicles per day depending on location. Near the L.A. County line, the I-405 is the most heavily traveled freeway in the nation, and both the regular lanes and carpool lanes are congested daily during rush hour and on weekends.
Traffic along the corridor is expected to grow approximately 35 percent by 2040. Additional lanes and other improvements are needed to improve traffic flow, accommodate growing traffic demand, relieve congestion and improve overall mobility. The I-405 Improvement Project is critical in order to accommodate expected employment, population and housing growth in not only Orange County but throughout Southern California.
What does the I-405 Improvement Project entail?
The project will improve 16 miles of I-405 between the SR-73 freeway in Costa Mesa and I-605 near the L.A. County line. The project includes adding one regular lane in each direction from Euclid Street to I-605 and making improvements to freeway entrances, exits and bridges.
It also will construct the 405 Express Lanes, two lanes in each direction from SR-73 to I-605.
The new express lanes—incorporating the existing carpool lanes and connectors that opened in 2014—will give solo drivers the choice to speed up their commute for a toll, and carpoolers may ride in the lanes for free.
Where will vehicles be able to enter and exit the toll lanes?
There are seven access points in between SR-73 and I-605, giving drivers sufficient opportunity to reach every interchange and business along the corridor, including the Westminster Mall, car dealerships, Bella Terra, Goldenwest College and South Coast Plaza, among other destinations.
These intermediate access locations minimize right-of-way impacts to the adjacent community. Additional access points would likely have significant right-of-way impacts.
The intermediate access points at Magnolia/Warner and Bolsa/ Goldenwest were selected largely to serve Beach Boulevard which is roughly midway along the corridor, has the highest arterial volume of any of the arterials crossing the freeway and has the largest interchange volumes in the corridor.
—from the OCTA
