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South Orange County drivers and residents should plan for detours and be aware of possible delays from a scheduled overnight closure of I-5 in both directions between Alicia Parkway and El Toro Road in south Orange County.
The closures are scheduled from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Monday, May 16, and Tuesday, May 17 (ending on the morning of Wednesday, May 18).
Drivers are asked to plan ahead, consider alternate routes and avoid the area during those hours, if possible.
The full-freeway closure is necessary so that overhead power lines can be installed across the newly widened I-5 freeway. The work is scheduled to take place parallel to Los Alisos Boulevard – with the city of Laguna Hills to the west and Lake Forest to the east.
The work will also necessitate the closure of northbound on-ramps at Crown Valley Parkway, Oso Parkway, La Paz Road and Alicia Parkway, and the closure of southbound on-ramps at El Toro Road.
Detours will be posted throughout the area, leading drivers to the safest and most direct alternate routes.
Southern California Edison is coordinating the work with Caltrans and the Orange County Transportation Authority, which is leading the I-5 Improvements Project from State Route 73 to El Toro Road.
Freeway message signs will alert drivers to the closure, which is being shared with first responders, city officials and through social media to help spread the word and lessen the impact.
Overall, the I-5 South County Improvements Project, which began in 2019, is improving the freeway between SR-73 and El Toro Road. The $595 million project through San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, and Laguna Woods, will add a regular lane in each direction and extend a second carpool lane between Alicia Parkway and El Toro Road.
The 6.5-mile stretch of freeway is heavily traveled with about 360,000 drivers each day. Funding for the project comes from Measure M, the local half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, also known as OC Go.
The I-5 South County improvements are expected to be finished in 2025.
The closures are subject to change. For more information, visit www.octa.net/i5south.
