What to Know
- What: Addition of a second carpool lane in each direction on I-5 between SR-55 and SR-7.
- When: Starting Tuesday, April 9 at 10 p.m.
- Why: The existing carpool lanes are not able to handle current and projected travel demands.
The 5 Freeway carpool ramps will permanently close starting Tuesday, April 9 for demolition work on Main Street in Santa Ana for the addition of a second carpool lane going in each direction between SR-55 and SR-57.
The estimated $41.5 million I-5 Central County Improvements Project will remove concrete barrier between the carpool lanes and regular lanes and remove the 5 Freeway Main Street carpool ramp and bridge.
Main street will remain open during construction with irregular lane closures.
During the demolition all northbound lanes on the 5 Freeway will close approximately from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for up to 10 nights while southbound lanes will remain open.
The addition of the carpool lane requires three demolition stages. The first two stages will require some lane closures and the last require a full freeway closure.
Nearly 380,000 drivers travel on the 5 Freeway each day between the 55 and 57 freeways, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority. The current current carpool lanes don't hold the capacity to handle current and projected travel demands.
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The project is expected to be completed by early 2021. To sign up for updates on the project click here or text i5Central to 55222 for text alerts.
