Traffic Advisory: San Juan Capistrano Avoid Southbound I-5 Through Saturday

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA—It's not quite "carmageddon" in SJC, but this weekend, travel on southbound I-5 will be in a bit of a jam according to official reports from Orange County Transit Authority. A 14-hour lane closure on I-5 through San Clemente will cause delays for drivers.

I-5 freeway construction improvements will ultimately widen the freeway and include a carpool lane in each direction along the nearly six miles between Avenida Pico in San Clemente and San Juan Creek Road in San Juan Capistrano. However the weekend of Aug. 19 and 20, it will just be a bit of a pain for drivers in south Orange County.

Here's the low down:

A temporary lane and ramp closure southbound San Diego Freeway (I-5) in south Orange County is planned for Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20.

Expect closures around the Avenida Pico interchange in San Clemente, potentially causing significant traffic delays as freeway improvements reach a major milestone.

Three out of four southbound lanes will be closed between Avenida Vista Hermosa and Avenida Palizada beginning at 10 p.m. Friday. No northbound lane closures are scheduled.

Drivers should avoid the area during the 14-hour construction period if possible and plan for delays between 10 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.

During the construction period, crews will grind pavement, lay new pavement and restripe the southbound freeway lanes and adjacent ramps, allowing traffic to transition to a newly constructed bridge.

The following ramps also will be closed:

• Southbound on-ramps at Avenida Vista Hermosa and Avenida Pico.
• Southbound off-ramps at Avenida Pico and Avenida Palizada.

CHECK TRAFFIC HERE:

Timed Closures will take effect starting at 10 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19.

The following closure schedule was released:

• 10 p.m. Friday, the southbound I-5 freeway lanes will be reduced to one open lane
• 8:30 a.m. Saturday, two southbound lanes are scheduled to open
• Noon Saturday, southbound traffic is scheduled to reopen to four lanes on a newly constructed bridge.

Alternative Travel and/or Routes Suggested:

Heading to San Diego? Consider taking Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner.

Travelers heading south should consider the Pacific Surfliner as an alternative to driving. There is service to Oceanside, Solana Beach (with a connection to the Del Mar Race Track), San Diego, and other popular destinations. A trip on the train offers ocean views, comfortable seating, food and drink options from the Café car, and more. Station, schedule and destination information is available at pacificsurfliner.com.

Why is there so much construction on I-5?

Construction improvements to the I-5 freeway began in 2014 to widen the freeway and included a carpool lane in each direction along the nearly six miles between Avenida Pico in San Clemente and San Juan Creek Road in San Juan Capistrano.

The improvement project is also reconstructing the Avenida Pico interchange,widening the on-ramp to three lanes and adding dual left-turn lanes to the northbound and southbound Avenida Pico off-ramps.

he $230-million project is scheduled for completion in 2018.
For updated information on the project, visit octa.net/i5south.

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