I-5 Central County High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Improvements
Award
Construction Project
Description
The existing HOV lanes on this segment of the freeway were constructed about 30 years ago, and there are bottlenecks during peak traffic hours, with speeds averaging less than 45 mph. The I-5 Central County Improvements Project has achieved its purpose of delivering new HOV lanes through this stretch of central Orange County that have been opened to drivers, thereby easing traffic along this heavily congested corridor.
The project also removed existing concrete barriers between the HOV lanes and the general-purpose lanes. And the HOV lanes were striped for continuous access, allowing drivers to move freely between lanes.
Another milestone event for this project was the successful demolition of the Main Street HOV drop-ramp bridge structure during a single weekend freeway closure – minimizing impacts to the public and reducing project risks.
Lastly, the expected construction completion date for this project was accelerated by at least four months due to pandemic-induced reductions in traffic during peak hours. The project team evaluated and monitored traffic patterns to successfully allow for expanded and extended lane closures that ultimately led to the early completion of the project saving tax dollars and bringing the benefits to the public sooner.
The success of this project was a direct result of the close coordination between project delivery team (Contractor: OHL America, CM: TRC Solutions, Designer: TYLIN International) and the partnering agencies involved (OCTA, Caltrans District 12, Metrolink, City of Santa Ana).
The I-5 Central County Improvements Project achieved its purpose of delivering new HOV lanes in central OC, thus easing traffic along this heavily congested corridor. Construction was accelerated by 4 months due to pandemic-induced traffic reductions. The success of this project was a direct result of the coordination between project delivery team (OHL America, CM: TRC Solutions, PS&E: TYLIN International) and the partnering agencies involved (OCTA, Caltrans D12, Metrolink, City of Santa Ana).
Branch
