Public Comment Sought For Major 5 Freeway Project Impacting Lake Forest Residents

LAKE FOREST, CA — Lake Forest residents, Caltrans wants to hear from you.

Caltrans — in partnership with the Orange County Transportation Authority — is hosting a public hearing to discuss and answer questions about the I-5/El Toro Road Interchange project on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

The online public hearing follows an in-person forum that took place at the Laguna Hills Community Center on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

According to Caltrans, the project aims to mitigate congestion and traffic delays that impact the freeway near El Toro Road and surrounding areas.

"This interchange experiences congestion and delays due to traffic queuing at the intersections of the on- and off-ramps and local streets," Caltrans said in a statement. "The proposed project is intended to address congestion and enhance freeway operations to improve local and regional mobility."

The project includes three proposed improvements, including a "no build alternative," which would ditch the project completely if opted for.

Alternative 1 includes replacing the existing southbound 5 Freeway on- and off-ramps with a hook ramp along Avenida De la Carlota.

The alternative would include new ramp alignments, a new bridge over El Toro Road, and realignment of Avenida de la Carlota.

Alternative 3 includes "a standalone installation of intelligent transportation systems to improve signal synchronization," Caltrans said.

The project is currently in its environmental review stage, and may cost anywhere from $29 million to $333 million, depending on the alternative selected.

According to Caltrans, the project funding comes from Measure M, a 30-year half cent sales tax for transportation improvement projects.

To register for the Zoom public hearing, visit the Orange County Transportation Authority's website.