2 I-5 Ramps to Reopen Today, 2 More by Oct. 5

Two South County freeway ramps will reopen this morning, and two more will reopen by Oct. 5, Caltrans announced Thursday.

The El Toro Road offramp from Interstate 5 south and the Avery Parkway onramp to I-5 north will open for morning commuters today. By Oct. 5, the Oso Parkway ramp to northbound I-5 and the Crown Valley Parkway ramp to southbound I-5 will open, Caltrans said.

“We realize that navigating the freeway system during the past few months in South County has been challenging,” said Sam Hout, El Toro Y project manager. The opening of the four ramps, he said, “clearly signals the end is in sight.”

The one remaining ramp still under construction is the eastbound Lake Forest Drive onramp to I-5 south, which is expected to open in mid-October. Also set to open then is a major stretch of carpool lanes from Avery Parkway to El Toro Road, giving I-5 nearly 12 miles of continuous carpool lanes from Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point. The final phase of the Y project is to finish building the freeway-to-freeway carpool connectors.

The $166-million El Toro Y/I-5 South Improvement Project is expected to be finished in January. At its widest point, the El Toro Y will have 26 lanes.