Repaired Ortega Highway Is Scheduled to Reopen Today
Ortega Highway, closed for more than two weeks after torrential rains damaged the road, may reopen today, Caltrans officials said.
But the weather has to cooperate.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a 50% chance of rain today for Orange County, said meteorologist Steven Vanderburg, which could change the schedule.
The opening of the highway, expected around noon, will be a relief for many people commuting between Riverside and Orange counties. An average of 15,000 commuters make the daily trek.
The highway, connecting south Orange County to Lake Elsinore, collapsed after torrential rains bore a hole in its pavement about three miles east of the Santa Ana Freeway near San Juan Capistrano.
The cost of emergency repairs was $1.5 million, the state Department of Transportation said.
The reopening was delayed because of a high-pressure gas line that required workers to take special safety precautions.
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