News Story

The first half of the Westminster Boulevard bridge opened on Jan. 28, first half of Fairview Road scheduled to open Feb. 12

ORANGE – The I-405 Improvement Project is reaching the first of many milestones scheduled to be met in 2021, with the opening of the first halves of the Westminster Boulevard and Fairview Road bridges.

The first half of the new Westminster Boulevard bridge in Westminster opened to traffic on Thursday, Jan. 28, and the first half of the Fairview Road bridge in Costa Mesa is expected to open on Friday, Feb. 12. 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.

Both Westminster Boulevard and Fairview Road are being demolished and reconstructed in two stages, one half at a time, allowing them to remain open to traffic in both directions during construction.

Demolition of the second half of the bridges will require overnight closures of I-405. The freeway near Westminster Boulevard is scheduled to close overnight on Saturday, Feb. 6. Closures near Fairview Road are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, and again on Saturday, Feb. 27.

Construction of the I-405 Improvement Project will continue in full swing throughout 2021. Half of the 18 bridges being rebuilt as part of the project are anticipated to be completed by the end of the year.

The Talbert Avenue and Magnolia Street bridges, along with the first half of the Bolsa Avenue bridge, are expected to open in the first half of 2021. Later in the year, the Heil Avenue pedestrian overcrossing, along with the Edwards Street, Bolsa Chica Road and Goldenwest Street bridges are scheduled to open.

For the latest construction schedule, as well as closure and detour information, visit the project’s interactive map at octa.net/405map or download the free 405 Improvement mobile app in the App Store or in Google Play.

The I-405 Improvement Project, now more than halfway complete, 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.