Good News! Ortega Highway Reopens This Week

LAKE ELSINORE, CA – The Ortega (74) Highway between Lake Elsinore and San Juan Capistrano is expected to reopen this week following a nearly three-week closure due to storm damage that compromised the two-lane corridor.

Caltrans District 12 spokeswoman Jocelyn Whitfield said "crews have made good progress" repairing the highway, and plans are in place to lift the closure before the end of this week.

"Caltrans assures the public that we will open state Route 74 as soon as possible and requests ... patience and support while we finish these essential repairs," Whitfield said.

All of the damage is concentrated on a patch of roadway a half-mile east of Gibby Road, on the Orange County side of the highway, near Rancho Mission Viejo.

Motorists coming from the OC side cannot go past that point, nor can motorists originating from the Riverside County side.

On Jan. 25, the roughly 28-mile artery was ordered shut down after a deep void opened, causing a section of pavement to sink. It was preceded by four days of rain.

The depression was the result of road supporting surface apparently washing away, according to Whitfield.
She said the void extended 30 feet, requiring crews to re-fortify the compromised section.

Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Temecula, has been among those calling for the state to expedite the work.

Motorists can use a combination of Interstates 5 and 15, along with state Routes 55, 76 and 91, to go back and forth between Orange and Riverside counties.

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--City News Service/Images via CT Santa Ana