‘Orange Crush’ Gets Tighter

The northbound Santa Ana Freeway (Interstate 5) connector to the westbound Garden Grove Freeway (California 22) closed Monday, causing headaches for motorists near the “Orange Crush”--the interchange linking these two freeways and the Orange Freeway (California 57). Another interchange connector shut down in November. Both closures result from the I-5 widening effort.

RECOMMENDED DETOURS

Costa Mesa Freeway to Garden Grove Freeway

Exit on Chapman Avenue; right to southbound Orange Freeway on-ramp, then to westbound Garden Grove freeway

Closed Monday until 1995

Closed until late this year

Nation’s busiest interchanges

The Orange Crush is the fifth busiest interchange in the country. Southern California is home to the top 10.

Daily traffic Rank Interchange between volume 1 Golden State, Santa Ana, Pomona and Hollywood freeways 563,000 2 Santa Monica and Harbor freeways 561,500 3 Santa Monica and San Diego freeways 561,000 4 Ventura and San Diego freeways 520,500 5 Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Orange freeways 492,500 6 Artesia and San Gabriel River freeways 478,000 7 Harbor and San Diego freeways 467,000 8 Orange and Riverside freeways 443,000 9 Santa Ana and Long Beach freeways 437,500 10 Costa Mesa and San Diego freeways 435,000

Note: Based on 1990 volumes, most recent available

Source: Caltrans