The California Department of Transportation will implement a bypass lane on the northbound Golden State Freeway (I-5) just south of the Gorman Road overcrossing beginning June 3, 2013, at 5 a.m. through November 2013 while crews pave the two right lanes of northbound I-5. The two right lanes will be closed to traffic.

When the bypass lane is implemented, the inside lane of southbound I-5 will temporarily become a northbound lane at all times from just south of the Gorman Road overcrossing to just north of the Kern County line, a distance of about three miles. Northbound motorists using the bypass lane will be driving to the left of the existing median. A concrete barrier will separate the northbound and southbound lanes.

This configuration will allow three traffic lanes in each direction to remain open while work is underway on the two outside northbound lanes of I-5 and will reduce the duration of the project.

Motorists traveling in the left lane of northbound I-5 should prepare to shift to the bypass lane as they near the Gorman Road overcrossing.

This work is part of a project that is replacing slabs in both directions of I-5 between the Vista Del Lago Road overcrossing and the Kern County Line, a distance of 15.4 miles.

This $100.1 million project, which will be completed in mid-2015, will extend the life of the pavement, reduce maintenance costs and closures, and provide a smoother ride for motorists. The contractor is Griffith/Coffman Joint Venture of Brea, Calif.

Closure information for this and other freeway projects is available on the Caltrans website: http://www.lcswebreports.dot.ca.gov/lcswebreports.