Concerns with I-5/Ortega Interchange

By Mark Nielsen

The reconstruction of the Ortega interchange will have a major impact both physically and visually on the heart of our town.

The bridge across the I-5 will be a more modern concrete bridge with chain link "suicide" fencing along both sides of the bridge across the full expanse of the freeway. The width of the bridge will increase from today's size and with the removal of the mature trees, the starkness of this massive bridge will be quite apparent. Not exactly the kind of entryway one would envision to a rural and historical community.

The original drawings from over a year ago for the Option 3 design that has the single cloverleaf on the southeast side of the interchange probably looked OK with the small concept drawing, but in the real world, folks will be shocked by the visual impact. The City recently appointed an Aesthetics Committee to work with Caltrans to change the design of the "standard Caltrans engineering" to be more reflective of the unique character of this historic City and Mission which are only a block away from the interchange. This committee has 4 City staff, two Planning Commissioners and a Design Review Committee member. Unfortunately, much of the input from this Aesthetics committee appears to be falling on deaf ears.

The interchange is estimated to cost over $67 million to build and acquire needed right of way (including the taking of property currently used by two gas stations, Denny's, Arby's and Jack in the Box). The construction is expected to begin in October of 2012 and go on for two years, ending by late 2014.

While the need to improve the interchange is evident, the extent to which the plans widen and force changes are really quite excessive and unnecessary. For example, the southbound exit ramp has a bridge across the ramp roadway with overhead signs showing turn directions for each lane. Painted arrows on the pavement of each lane is certainly more in keeping with the historic character of San Juan Capistrano, but Caltrans seems insistent upon keeping the overhead signage. Reducing the amount of concrete at the entrance to Del Taco from the proposed 4 lanes plus median would save money and greatly improve the appearance. In fact, the aesthetic team has tried to have Caltrans consider using that entrance to provide a back road to access not only the Del Taco, but also the Carl's Jr. and McDonalds. Such a road would remove curb cuts from Del Obispo and alleviate one of the major traffic issues with those drive-thru's. Again, Caltrans is resistant.

While Caltrans has been willing to work with the team on some issues, the major ones on the bridge and trees and over-engineering of some of the roadway have been shut down. The aesthetics team tried to argue that the bridge should be made to look more historic along with rail treatments more custom to the historic character instead of chain link. Neither of these had positive responses. While it is clear that the Caltrans staff has limited flexibility to make exceptions to the standard engineering requirements, this location is unique in Orange County and warrants other than the typical treatment when we have the Jewel of the California Missions practically adjacent to this interchange. There will also be negative impacts on the East side, as the current plans will likely take out the row of trees in front of the Forster Mansion along Ortega.

This interchange project will be something that we all must live with for decades to come. Caltrans is understandably only concerned with getting as much traffic on and off the freeway as efficiently as possible. However the City (and County, including OCTA) should be more concerned with the impact it will have on the entryway to this historic community and Orange County's only Mission. We have the chance to enhance the experience for all coming to our community and this historic treasure. A little extra time and effort now can make all the difference in the world.

I urge you to look at the current renderings and help us get the attention of our State legislators and County and OCTA representatives to step in and help us direct Caltrans to be more sensitive to preserving the unique character that is threatened by their "standard engineering guidelines" being used to design the I-5 interchange. The difference may mean having an interchange that encourages visitors to actually stop here as opposed to merely using the road as a driveway to and from the freeway.