UPDATE: Ortega Highway Delays Continue Through May

4/5 UPDATE:

Repairs to an eroded section of the Ortega (74) Highway between Lake Elsinore and San Juan Capistrano will require shutting down most of the route four nights a week for the next month, according to
Caltrans.

Starting tomorrow, the roughly 30-mile highway will be closed from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.; between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m., traffic will be restricted to one lane in some places, causing 15-minute travel delays, Caltrans officials said.

The closures will continue into early May.

Last month, heavy rains caused part of a shoulder to collapse on both
the Orange and Riverside County sides of the highway. Repairs to damage just west of Lake Elsinore were completed within a week, but work is continuing just east of San Juan Capistrano. --City News Service

3/30 UPDATE:

Alex Valdez, public information spokesman for Caltrans District 12, says to expect delays on the Ortega Highway for an "indefinite period."

Speaking by phone Wednesday afternoon, Valdez said erosion damage caused by winter storms has not been fully repaired and "there is still two-way flagging until further notice."

Valdez said Caltrans will continue to provide updates on its website.

3/25 UPDATE:

Closures due to erosion on the Ortega Highway will continue through at least March 30, according to the Caltrans District 12 website.

Friday afternoon, both eastbound and westbound lanes are open, but the highway will shut down in both directions at 8 p.m. until after midnight.

The westbound lane is scheduled to reopen at 1 a.m. Saturday morning and the eastbound side is planned to be open shortly after at 1:30 a.m., with continuous around the clock two-way traffic flagging control until March 30 at 8 p.m.

For more information, click here.

3/23 UPDATE:

Closures due to erosion on the Ortega Highway will be scheduled "indefinitely" at this point, according to a Caltrans District 12 spokeswoman.

The following road closures remain in effect:

Westbound SR-74 Ortega Highway from Riverside County (at Candy Store) to post-mile 14.1 (Ranger Station) will be closed daily from 6 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.

The westbound lane will then re-open for commuter traffic, while the eastbound lane will be closed to traffic at Nichols Institute Road at 4 a.m.

The eastbound lane will re-open at 2:30 p.m. at Nichols Institute Road, while westbound traffic will be closed again at Riverside County (Candy Store) at approximately 2 p.m.

Eastbound and westbound lanes will be open to traffic from the Interstate 5 to Nichols Institute Road at all times.

According to Caltrans, the closure is necessary to conduct emergency repair on the shoulder area, due to the inclement weather.

For information about this project, contact Caltrans at (949) 724-2000 or log on to the Caltrans main website at: www.dot.ca.gov/dist 12.

3/22 UPDATE:

CHP and Caltrans report that SR 74 is open in both directions until further notice.

CHP reports that erosion-control work is still being done next to the roadway and temporary closures may still be required.

3/21 UPDATE:

Commuters traveling the Ortega Highway are being advised to take an alternate route over the next several days due to road closures.

According to a Caltrans spokeswoman, the recent storm damaged SR 74, just west of the Riverside/Orange County line, which has caused road closures since Sunday afternoon.

Westbound traffic on SR 74 was blocked at the county line through Monday morning, and then reopened to commuter traffic. During that time, eastbound traffic was blocked approximately 2 miles west of the county line.

At approximately 10 a.m. today, CHP on the scene will once again block westbound traffic at the county line through approximately 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. During that time, eastbound commuter traffic will be allowed to pass.

Keep checking for updates ...

3/21 UPDATE:

Caltrans is reporting that westbound SR 74 is reopen.

3/20 ORIGINAL POST:

Highway 74 at the Riverside County line is closed to westbound traffic due to erosion on the Orange County side of the roadway.

Caltrans and CHP both report the closure is in effect up to 2 miles west of the county line.

The closure was implemented around 4:30 p.m. and there are no estimations on when the highway will reopen.

Motorists are being advised to take an alternate route.

No injuries have been reported as a result of the erosion.

Click here to check the closure status.