I-5 Improvement Project from San Diego County Line to Avenida Pico PA/ED

Advanced Civil Technologies is preparing the Project Report and Environmental Document to implement the addition of HOV lanes, re-establish auxiliary lanes, modify interchange ramps, and deliver other improvements.

Local commuters, interregional travelers, and commercial traffic rely heavily on I-5 to travel between the counties of Orange and San Diego. Near the county line, this highway currently sees up to 183,000 vehicles per day, which could increase to 250,000 per day by 2035 and contribute to serious congestion. Exacerbating the problem is the lack of managed lanes on I-5 from Avenida Pico to the Orange/San Diego County line, creating a gap between the existing HOV lanes to the north and planned managed lanes that will be implemented south of the county line.

Advanced Civil Technologies is leading the preparation of the Project Report and Environmental Document for the widening of I-5, adding one HOV lane in each direction between Avenida Pico and the Orange/San Diego County line. This will complete the HOV lane network on I-5 throughout Orange County and provide connectivity to the managed lanes proposed for I-5 in San Diego County. The project also proposes to re-establish auxiliary lanes, widen three bridges, replace two overcrossings, implement a ground anchor wall, and modify interchange ramps throughout the project area. In addition to managing the project, our team is preparing roadway plans, construction staging plans, TMP, drainage plans, and the SWDR. We are also providing quality management and risk management. 

Because the improvements will extend to the county line, the agency coordination effort for this project is significant, requiring cooperation with OCTA, SANDAG, and Caltrans Districts 11 and 12. Additional coordination is also required with the nearby Camp Pendleton and the California Coastal Commission. Several surveys, including a gnatcatcher survey and a plant survey, could only be conducted within limited windows in the spring of 2021. Because this window occurred shortly after the beginning of the project, Advanced Civil Technologies worked closely with Caltrans to obtain the permits on an expedited schedule, ensuring the surveys could be completed on time.

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