On Friday, July 26th, ASCE OC Construction Institute had the pleasure of touring the I-5 South County Improvements Project. OCTA, in cooperation with Caltrans, is improving 6.5 miles of I-5 between SR-73 and El Toro Road, through Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, and Lake Forest. Targeted to be fully complete by early 2025, project Improvements will include new northbound and southbound lanes from Avery Parkway to Alicia Parkway, extension of the second carpool lane from Alicia Parkway to El Toro Road, in both directions, new sound and retaining walls, reconstruction of Avery Parkway and La Paz Road interchanges, improvements to the Los Alison Blvd bridge, and new overhead signs and lighting.
Prior to beginning the tour, attendees enjoyed lunch at the OCTA Mission Viejo office and a presentation by Logan Selleck, OCTA Public Relations, and Niall A. Barrett, OCTA Program Manager. The presentation provided our attendees with an overview of the three (3) project segments, and the roadway, structural, and operational improvements associated with each segment. Special thanks to Mark Thomas for sponsoring lunch and for attending this event!
Following lunch, attendees boarded the OCTA private vehicles and departed to the first tour location: Avery Parkway (Segment 1). At this stop, OCTA explained the various roadway, structural, and operational improvements, which included the renovation of all Avery Parkway on- and off-ramps, addition of a northbound and southbound lane, reconstruction of the Avery Parkway interchange, addition of new retaining walls, and extension of a carpool lane from Alicia Parkway to El Toro Road.
After reviewing Avery Parkway Segment 1 work, the OCTA vehicles took our attendees to the second tour spot: El Toro Road (Segment 3). At this stop, OCTA showed us the recently finished improvements to the Los Alisos Blvd bridge and the extension of the second carpool lane between Alicia Parkway and El Toro Road.
Thank you to Logan, Niall, and the OCTA team for hosting and leading such an informative and enriching tour. Our students and professionals left the tour feeling inspired and excited about the infrastructure improvements happening right in their hometowns.
Additionally, shoutout to the ASCE OC Construction Institute Committee for organizing this event. Esmeralda Aguirre, Construction Institute Chair and Project Engineer at Jacobs, Marisol Olivas, Construction Institute Committee Member and Project Engineer at Jacobs, Jazzy Principe, Construction Institute Committe Member and Project Engineer at Jacobs, and Marionne Lapitan, Construction Institute Member, ASCE OC YMF President-Elect, and Traffic/ITS Engineer at Jacobs. (Jacobs' superstars!!). We appreciate everyone's support.
About the Author:
Esmeralda Aguirre is the ASCE OC Construction Institute Chair and a project engineer at Jacobs in their program and construction management division. She enjoys traveling with her husband, Victor, spending time with her two godsons, Ivan and Benjamin, and playing with her cat, Louie! Esmeralda can be reached at esmeralda.briseno@jacobs.com or via LinkedIn.
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