California Construction Trucking Association (CCTA)

By PETER SCHELDEN - THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

The public got its first look Monday night at a four-year widening plan for I-5 that would add a carpool lane in each direction between San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente.

The $444 million project between San Juan Creek Road and Avenida Pico also would reconfigure the I-5/Avenida Pico interchange in San Clemente, requiring workers to temporarily close the bridge at Pico. (Article Continues Below)

The California Department of Transportation and the Orange County Transportation Authority presented four options for freeway widening during a workshop at the San Clemente Community Center

Alternative 1: no project at all

Alternatives 2 and 3: carpool lanes with 4-foot buffers

Alternative 4: carpool lanes only

San Clemente resident Georgette Korsen said she is wary of the two options that would add 4-foot buffers to the carpool lanes.

"The more freeway we have, the less of a small town we have," she said. "But we do need relief of traffic."

Her husband, Alan Korsen, said he is eager to see the changes.

"I'm glad to see them do it," he said. "Every single night we see the traffic from our home. It's horrific."

The plan also would add auxiliary lanes at three locations to make merging smoother: northbound from Avenida Vista Hermosa, southbound from Camino de Estrella and southbound approaching Vista Hermosa.

The "wide target" dates for construction are 2015 to 2019, said OCTA spokeswoman Tresa Oliveri.

OCTA officials say the 5½-mile stretch of I-5 between San Juan Creek Road and Avenida Pico handles about 242,000 vehicles a day, projected to increase to 300,000.

The public was shown two options for the Pico interchange:

Option A calls for nine lanes under the freeway bridge, including adding two left-turn lanes to Pico in both directions.

Option B calls for a looping cloverleaf ramp for traffic headed north on Pico to merge onto the northbound I-5. It would remove the nearby Mobil gas station and Carrows restaurant. With that option, seven lanes would carry traffic beneath the freeway.

Option B would be more expensive because OCTA would need to pay Mobil and Carrows, said Bo Burick, project manager with RBF Consulting.

Officials have said the Shell station and Burger Stop restaurant south of I-5 could be affected, too.

OCTA is conducting environmental reviews for the project. They could be ready as soon as this summer or as late as early 2011, OCTA project manager Rose Casey said.

Residents can submit comments on the project when a public hearing is held in early 2011.

The freeway widening and Pico intersection changes had been separate projects but were made a joint project this year.

"It makes much more sense," Burick said. "You get an economy of scale."

Measure M2, a half-cent sales tax that Orange County voters renewed in 2006 to fund transportation improvements, provides $300 million for the plan, officials said.

- Staff writer Fred Swegles contributed to this report.

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