Interstate 5 Improvements Still On Schedule Despite Wet Weather

Despite heavy rains last winter, work on a 15-mile stretch of car-pool lanes in the middle of Interstate 5, from Dana Point to the El Toro Y, is still on schedule and should be finished next summer, transportation officials say.

But the construction has made commuting tougher for motorists, who have less room for mistakes due to concrete barricades that separate them from bulldozers, trucks and other heavy equipment.

In several areas of Interstate 5 through South County, shoulders along the freeway’s center have been taken up by the concrete barriers since last year.

“We’re definitely seeing some problems because of that,” said Bruce Lian, a California Highway Patrol spokesman. “The accidents still would have happened without the work, but many have ended up being more serious.”

Lian urged motorists to use extra caution in the area.

OCTA spokeswoman Elaine Beno said a special freeway service patrol has been helping keep regular lanes clear when vehicles break down or become involved in accidents.

The work is part of a $166-million project by Caltrans and the Orange County Transportation Authority to improve traffic conditions on Interstate 5 and the El Toro Y interchange.

The car-pool lanes are expected to open first--sometime this fall--and run from the Pacific Coast Highway exit to the Junipero Serra Road exit, said Sam Hout, a principal project manager with the Orange County Transportation Authority.

The remainder of the car-pool lanes should be ready by next summer and improvements on the El Toro Y should be completed by the fall of 1996, Hout said.