Orange County Transportation Authority officials on Friday will celebrate the opening of express lanes on the San Diego (405) Freeway from Costa Mesa to the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway.
The $2.16-billion project, which began in 2018, added one new lane in each direction as well as express lanes between state Route 73 and the San Gabriel River Freeway, a first for Orange County freeways. The project also included upgrades to streets and on- and off-ramps through the cities affected. Crews also reconstructed 18 bridges, some of which include new sidewalks and bike lanes.
The freeway is used by about 370,000 vehicles each day, making it one of the most-traveled in the nation, according to the OCTA. The project will improve travel times, officials said.