Today, the San Diego Freeway (I-405) is one of the most congested freeways in Orange County, carrying more than 300,000 vehicle trips in some sections each day. Traffic volumes on the I-405 are expected to increase approximately 20 percent and the population is expected to grow 13 percent by 2030.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), is proposing to widen the San Diego Freeway (I-405) between State Route 73 (SR-73) and Interstate 605 (I-605). The purpose of the proposed improvement is to improve travel conditions for work, recreation, school, and commerce by increasing freeway capacity, improving traffic and interchange operations, and enhancing road safety to meet state and federal standards.
Measure M2 allocated $500 million to the I-405 Improvement Project. Unfortunately, due to declining sales tax revenue this amount has decreased to approximately $400 million.
I-405 Environmental Phase
As required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Caltrans, in cooperation with OCTA, is preparing an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for this project. The EIR/EIS will be undertaken to analyze factors that include, but are not limited to, the following: aesthetics, cultural resources, biological resources, hazardous wastes and materials, public services and facilities, water quality, floodplain, noise, air quality, recreation, community impacts, and transportation/traffic.
There are currently four Build Alternatives, and a Transportation Systems Management (TSM)/Transportation Demand Management/Mass Transit Alternative, and one No Build Alternative. During the EIR/EIS, environmental and preliminary engineering analyses will be completed to identify the alternative that will meet the existing and future transportation needs in the corridor.
Alternatives:
Baseline Alternative (No Build) - No additional lanes or interchange improvements
Build Alternative 1: Add One General-Purpose Lane in Each Direction
- Adds a single general-purpose freeway lane in each direction of the I-405 freeway from Euclid Street to the I-605 interchange
- Interchange improvements for some interchanges within the project limits
Build Alternative 2: Add Two General-Purpose Lanes in Each Direction
- Adds two general-purpose lanes in each direction
- Two lanes in each direction will extend from Euclid Street to the I-605 Interchange
Build Alternative 3: Express Facility Alternative
- Adds one toll lane to the existing carpool lane that will be managed together (Federal Highway Administration tolling authority required)
- Adds a general-purpose lane in each direction north of Euclid Street to I-605
Build Alternative 4: Localized Improvements
- Adds one additional general-purpose lane at various locations and improves various interchanges between Euclid Street and I-605 on I-405
The Transportation Systems Management (TSM)/Transportation Demand Management (TDM)/Mass Transit Alternative
- Involves low-cost operational improvements and not major capital projects
The first two build alternatives came out of the I-405 Major Investment Study and were approved by the OCTA Board of Directors in 2005. Following the MIS, OCTA and Caltrans conducted a Project Study Report, which concluded in 2008 and brought forward two alternatives for public consideration. (Alternatives 1 and 2 – listed above). A revised project cost estimate of $1.2 to $1.7 million was also included in the PSR. The second two build alternatives were added in January 2009 by the Board in light of the current economic climate and a decrease in available funds.
Currently, all of these build alternatives are generally within the right-of-way. During the EIR/EIS, environmental and preliminary engineering analyses will be completed to identify the alternative that will meet the existing and future transportation needs for the corridor.
The I-405 Improvement Project environmental phase must be complete before the project moves forward to design, right of way and construction. Construction is approximately seven to ten years away, depending on funding availability.
Public Outreach
The environmental phase includes extensive public outreach. Four Public Scoping Meetings were held in Fall 2009 to provide an early exchange of information and to give interested parties an opportunity to provide comments or concerns. Comments received at the meeting became part of the public record and will be considered in defining the scope of the project and developing the EIR/EIS.
View the
scoping meeting materials.
| I-405 Environmental Phase Milestones Chart |
| Notice of Preparation/Notice of Intent | Sept. 2009 |
| Scoping Meetings | Sept./Oct. 2009 |
| Draft Environmental Document | Mid 2011 |
| Final Environmental Document | Mid 2012 |
Information
Christina Byrne
Community Relations Officer
(714) 560-5717 | cbyrne@octa.net