Lane closure at John Wayne Airport reroutes traffic in Santa Ana

Travelers going to and from John Wayne Airport (SNA) will find some traffic rerouting along the airport’s main roadway until Sept. 15 because of an ongoing seismic retrofitting project at the Santa Ana airport.

The southbound 55 Freeway exit that leads into the airport will be reduced to one lane and will direct cars to the departure level only. If you’re picking up passengers or returning rental cars to the lower arrival level, you will need to take the airport return loop to get there, according to an airport statement.

Bottom line: Leave extra time in case traffic slows and use short-term parking lots for pick-ups (first 15 minutes free, $2 an hour after that). The construction shores up seismic standards on the roadways in a project that continues through December.

Last November, the airport opened Terminal C, part of a $543-million airport expansion and renovation project that began in 2006. Most recently, the airport opened two new eateries -- Ruby’s Diner and Farmers Market by Laguna Culinary Arts -- between Gates 8 and 9 as part of the project.