Work is now also beginning at the Brookhurst Street and Edinger Avenue overcrossings
ORANGE – The I-405 Improvement Project reaches two major milestones this week with the completion and opening of the Bushard Street and McFadden Avenue bridges.
Bushard Street opened to traffic on Monday, Oct. 12, and McFadden Avenue is scheduled to open on Friday, Oct. 16. The two bridges are among 18 to be built, widened or replaced as part of the project, which aims to speed up travel times on I-405 between Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles County line.
“The opening of the McFadden Avenue and Bushard Street bridges not only makes it easier than ever for residents to get around their communities, but also marks an important step toward an improved 405 Freeway for all of Orange County,” said OCTA Chairman Steve Jones, also the mayor of Garden Grove. “Thank you to the residents and businesses near the project for their continued patience. I know construction is never easy, but these improvements will benefit the region for decades to come.”
The McFadden Avenue bridge, which links Huntington Beach and Westminster, was demolished in August 2018. The new bridge will have double the number of lanes as the old one, along with new sidewalks and bike lanes in both directions.
Bushard Street, located in Fountain Valley, has been under construction since August of last year. The new bridge is similar to the old one, with two lanes in each direction, along with sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides of the street.
Next, crews are scheduled to begin demolishing the Brookhurst Street and Edinger Avenue bridges later this month.
The Brookhurst Street bridge in Fountain Valley is being reconstructed in two stages, one half at a time, allowing it to remain open to traffic in both directions during construction. The first half of the bridge is expected to take approximately 16 months to complete.
Demolition will require overnight closures of I-405 near Brookhurst Street. The closures are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, and again on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The Edinger Avenue bridge in Westminster, like McFadden Avenue and Bushard Street, will be demolished and reconstructed in one stage, so it will be fully closed to traffic during construction. The bridge is scheduled to close on Friday, Oct. 23, for approximately a year and a half.
Demolition of the Edinger Avenue overcrossing will require overnight closures of I-405 near the bridge. Those closures are expected to occur overnight on Saturday, Oct. 31, and again on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Detours will be in place to guide drivers around all the closures. Up-to-date closure and detour information is available on the project’s interactive map at octa.net/405map or on the project’s mobile app. To download the free app, search for 405 Improvement in the App Store or in Google Play.
The $1.9 billion I-405 Improvement Project will add one regular lane in each direction between Euclid Street and I-605, and a second lane in each direction in the center of the freeway from SR-73 to I-605 that will combine with the existing carpool lanes to form the 405 Express Lanes.
This 16-mile segment of I-405 is one of the most heavily traveled stretches of highway in the nation, and drivers routinely face severe congestion in both the regular lanes and carpool lanes. The project is critical to accommodate expected employment, population and housing growth throughout the region.
The speed limit on I-405 has been reduced to 55 mph between SR-73 and I-605 for the safety of drivers and construction crews for the duration of the project, which is expected to be completed in 2023. Drivers are advised to slow down and proceed with caution whenever signs of highway work are present, and drivers whose vehicles become disabled should pull off at the nearest exit, if possible.
For more information about the I-405 Improvement Project, visit octa.net/405improvement.
Crews are preparing to open the new McFadden Avenue bridge in Huntington Beach and Westminster as part of the I-405 Improvement Project. The bridge, scheduled to open on Friday, Oct. 16, is one of 18 bridges to be reconstructed as part of the $1.9 billion project. Photo courtesy of the Orange County Transportation Authority.
