Orange County's SR 55 is undergoing major upgrades to add lanes, improve merging, and enhance safety, funded by a $505.7 million project. Scheduled to finish in 2027, it aims to reduce traffic congestion, benefitting 260,000 daily commuters and the trucking industry. Funding sources include Measure M, federal, and state funds.
Caltrans photo
Link-Belt cranes help build a sound-deflecting wall.
The Costa Mesa Freeway (State Route 55) is undergoing a significant upgrade to improve traffic flow and reduce travel time in the 4 mi. stretch between Interstate 405 and Interstate 5.
The roadway has four regular lanes and one carpool lane in each direction as well as merge lanes between some interchanges. The upgrade being led by contractor Security Paving Co. Inc. of Westlake Village, Calif., integrates an additional regular lane and an additional carpool lane in each direction. The project also will add merge lanes on northbound SR 55 between the interchanges at MacArthur Boulevard, Dyer Road and Edinger Avenue to facilitate merging and improve roadway safety.
Caltrans photo
The improvements are intended to help increase access to job centers, health care facilities, educational institutions and John Wayne Airport, as well as other important destinations in and around the region. The cities along this high-traffic corridor include Irvine, Santa Ana and Tustin, and the project timeline began in August of 2022 and runs through 2027.
The freeway is one of the most heavily traveled roads in Southern California; it serves as a critical connector to other major arteries and is the only north-south freeway linking Central Orange County to the coast.
About 260,000 vehicles travel the road daily, and that number is expected to reach 275,000 by 2040. The commercial trucking industry also will benefit from the project; the road accommodates 17,000 daily trucking trips. The added lanes will reduce travel time, saving up to 1,500 hours per day. This will improve air quality; fewer trucking hours on the road will reduce exhaust and pollution output.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is leading the SR 55 Improvement Project in collaboration with the California Transportation Commission (Caltrans). The estimated budget for the project totals $505.7 million.
It is funded by OC Go, also known as Measure M, which is Orange County's half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements. Additional funding for the SR 55 Improvement Project was secured from federal and state sources. Caltrans awarded OCTA $140 million in competitive state transportation funding in support of the SR-55 Improvement Project. The full breakdown of funding is as follows: OC Go contributed $82.8 million; state funds covered $262.9 million; and federal funds added $160.9 million.
OCTA Chairman Mark A. Murphy, also the mayor of Orange, noted the impact of the SR 55 improvements.
"This is an important project that will help ensure people can continue traveling safely and efficiently throughout the region," he said. "The SR 55 project will not only benefit those who live or work along this 4-mile stretch of freeway but also anyone who travels between central Orange County and the coast."
Caltrans photo
To accommodate the freeway expansion, the project requires the relocation of some local streets and/or narrowing the width of some surface streets. The structural components of the project include the reconstruction of four freeway bridges — those over MacArthur Boulevard, Dyer Road, Edinger Avenue, and a railroad crossing.
The process required significant demolition followed by pile driving, a common method of bridge foundation construction, which involves steel beams being driven into the ground until they reach a hard layer of earth for optimal stability. Additionally, one sound wall near the SR 55/I-5 interchange will be built, along with retaining walls throughout the corridor.
Drainage was another consideration.
To avoid water accumulation on the newly paved surface, which can result in unsafe driving conditions, erosion, structural damage and costly roadway maintenance, a drainage system with a 3,139-ft.-long lane channel was constructed. Utilities including gas, sewer, and communication lines had to be relocated, and water lines were installed 20 ft. below ground across the entire freeway.
The project also involves the reconfiguration of on- and off-ramps. Operationally, the SR 55 project requires resurfacing and paving, restriping of regular car lanes, restriping of carpool lanes for continuous access to facilitate entry and exit, and restriping of merge lanes. In terms of signage and visibility, crews removed old signage and light poles to make way for new overhead signage and lighting to optimize safety and ensure that motorists understand the new traffic patterns. In addition, barrier work was part of the project.
Caltrans photo
OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson explained the plan and its impact on the region.
"The SR 55 project is one component in OCTA's overall goal of creating a balanced and sustainable transportation future for Orange County," he said. "I appreciate the community's patience during construction as we work toward providing relief for the hundreds of thousands of drivers who travel through this area each day."
"The additional HOV lanes will encourage more people to carpool and rideshare, which may be able to reduce vehicle miles traveled and travel times for commuters," Caltrans CEO Ryan Chamberland said. "The SR 55 Improvement Project also represents the investments we've made through SB 1 to fix our roads, freeways, and bridges."
SB 1 is the California Road Repair and Accountability Act. It was passed in 2017 and provides an estimated $5.4 billion annually to repair and improve roads, bridges and freeways across the state. CEG
Keri White
Keri White has been a writer and journalist for several decades, covering topics spanning asphalt to zucchini. Her work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Style and the Jewish Exponent. She is the author of an award-winning book, “The Mommy Code,” and has freelanced for diverse clients in the areas of construction, finance, food, manufacturing, fashion, supply chain, architecture, health and wellness and real estate. She lives in a very old house in Philadelphia, and loves to travel, cook and throw parties.
Read more from Keri White here.
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