• OCTA Collaborates with Caltrans on I-605/Katella Avenue Project
• OCTA Seeks Firm to Implement OC Streetcar Ticket Vending Machines

The OCTA board approved entering into a $2.5 million cooperative agreement with Caltrans for the I-605/Katella Avenue Interchange Project.

The agreement will initiate the project’s right-of-way phase by defining roles, responsibilities and funding obligations for support services, engineering, acquisition and utility relocation.

The I-605/Katella Avenue Interchange Project will modify the interchange’s ramps and make improvements along Katella Avenue between Coyote Creek Channel and Civic Center Drive in Los Alamitos.

The project is funded by Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, also known as OC Go.

Right-of-way activities are anticipated to begin in 2022 once the project’s design is 65 percent complete.

The OCTA board has released a request for proposals to select a firm to build, install and maintain ticket vending machines for the OC Streetcar.

The OC Streetcar will be Orange County’s first modern electric streetcar, running along a 4.1 mile route between the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove. The project will provide an additional affordable and convenient transit option, connecting with several of the busiest OC Bus routes and Metrolink commuter rail, in one of the nation’s most densely populated areas, while producing zero emissions.

The ticket vending machines will be placed at the 10 planned stops along the OC Streetcar route. It is estimated that 28 ticket vending machines will be needed to serve the route.

The machines are intended to be simple and intuitive, allowing OC Streetcar riders to easily purchase a fare with multiple payment types, such as cash, credit or debit card, and Apple or Google Wallet. The machines will issue paper tickets with barcodes that can be validated on the OC Streetcar and OC Bus system, allowing for a consistent and seamless fare collection experience for transit riders.

The streetcar is currently under construction and is anticipated to begin operating in late 2023.