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Construction starts on $779 million 91 Freeway project to ease congestion, need to weave across lanes

March 8, 2025

Getting on the 91 Freeway at Lakeview Avenue in Anaheim and merging across three lanes to make it to the 55 Freeway isn’t easy.

The merging and weaving over several lanes to make the exit slows down traffic on the already congested 91 Freeway, where even more drivers are merging and weaving to get to where they need to go. To help remedy the issue, a joint project by the Orange County Transportation Authority and Caltrans is underway to reduce the merging madness and let drivers destined for the 55 Freeway get on directly from Lakeview Avenue.

Local officials commemorated the start of construction of the 91 improvement project between the 55 and 57 freeways at a ceremony Friday, March 7, in Anaheim.

Officials shovel dirt during a ground breaking for the SR-91 Improvement Project between SR-57 and SR-55/Lakeview Avenue in Anaheim, CA on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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The 91 Freeway is the main link between Orange and Riverside counties and sees regular bumper-to-bumper traffic. The project will rebuild bridges, add new connectors and build new lanes in sections throughout the five-mile stretch from the 55 to the 57 Freeway.

OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson said the improvements from the $779 million project aren’t going to eliminate rush-hour traffic on the 91 Freeway, but they will make driving in the area safer and relieve some of the congestion.

Johnson labeled this section of the 91 Freeway, along with the interchanges to other freeways, a “hot spot” for bottlenecks.

“It’s a big investment,” Johnson said, “but the idea is to keep the flow going.”

Supervisor Don Wagner said those slow travel times delay not just people commuting for work, but also thousands of trucks daily delivering goods throughout the region.

“If we want to thrive … in this county we need this corridor and we need to assure goods movement and people movement through this corridor,” Wagner said.

Around 321,000 vehicles travel on that stretch of the 91 Freeway daily, many bringing Inland Empire residents to jobs in Orange County, and traffic is expected to grow in the coming years.

The five-mile project along the 91 Freeway corridor will be broken up into three segments that will break ground at different times over the next year.

The improvements are funded by the countywide sales tax revenue from Measure M, state funding through SB1, federal money and excess revenue from the 91 Express Lane tolls.

Segment 1, which starts construction now, will rebuild the Lakeview Avenue bridge that crosses the Santa Ana River and give drivers destined for the 55 Freeway a new direct ramp along with improvements to the connection to the 91 Freeway.

“From safety and operation, the idea is to try to minimize weaving and merging, which creates friction among drivers and slows down (traffic),” Johnson said.

“We think that’s going to be a real game changer in this area,” he added.

The new Lakeview Avenue bridge will include shoulders for bicyclists and sidewalks. Segment 1 will be under construction until late 2027, officials said.

Segment 2 focuses on the parts of the 91 Freeway between the 55 and 57 freeways, and will add a new eastbound general lane. The North Kraemer Boulevard and Tustin Avenue overcrossing along the 91 will also be rebuilt.

That segment will start construction next year and be completed in 2030, officials said.

Segment 3 aims to improve westbound traffic and the connection to the 57 Freeway southbound to minimize lane changes.

A bypass ramp will be added for those taking the 57 Freeway Orangethorpe Avenue exit before passing the 91 Freeway to get rid of needing to merge across several lanes at the interchange.

La Palma Avenue’s overcrossing will also be reconstructed. Segment 3 will start construction later this year and go through 2029, officials said.

Eric Carpenter, a spokesperson for OCTA, said the agency doesn’t have details yet for what closures construction will require. He said the goal is to have as many closures be nighttime only as possible to minimize the impact on commutes, but he encouraged drivers in the area to stay informed by following OCTA’s announcements online.

Carpenter said a driver on the 91 Freeway takes around 14 minutes to traverse these five miles of the corridor, and without the project that would have jumped to an estimated 24 minutes by 2050. Average daily traffic is expected to grow by 10% over the next 25 years.

Long-term, Johnson said the OCTA is working to add a connector from the 241 toll road to the 91 Express Lanes and invest in Metrolink service between Orange and Riverside counties by building a new station in Placentia.

But the 91 Freeway represents a substantial investment that officials hope will start paying off in time for the 2028 Olympics.

“This will cause some inconvenience in the next few years, and we really appreciate your patience, support and understanding in advance,” said Caltrans District 12 Director Lan Zhou. “And then your temporary sacrifice will deliver permanent benefits for Southern California and Orange County forever.”

Construction starts on $779 million 91 Freeway project to ease congestion, need to weave across lanes Orange County Register

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Construction starts on $779 million 91 Freeway project to ease congestion, need to weave across lanes

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