Starting Monday night, Dec. 11, the California Department of Transportation will create new temporary lanes on southbound Interstate 5, aka the Golden State Freeway, where a $171 million repaving project is underway in and near the city of Santa Clarita.

Drivers are urged to allow extra travel time and be aware of the new lane pattern on a segment of southbound I-5 between Calgrove Boulevard and State Route 14, aka the Antelope Valley Freeway.

The changes will start at approximately 10 p.m. Monday and are scheduled to be completed by 5 a.m. Tuesday.

The schedule is weather-permitting and is subject to change. Signs will be posted alerting drivers to the new lanes.

The new traffic pattern provides four southbound lanes, with two lanes on each side of a work area in the center of the southbound side of I-5. The work area will be protected by concrete barriers commonly known as K-rails. The split lanes will run for less than a mile.

At the split lanes, the California Highway Patrol will enforce a 50 mph speed limit. A 55 mph speed limit is in effect in other areas of the pavement project.

The Caltrans I-5 Roadway Rehabilitation Project is removing broken concrete slabs and constructing new concrete pavement on nearly 16 miles of I-5 between Route 14 and Lake Hughes Road. Construction is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2019. Most of the work is done at night, requiring some I-5 lanes to be closed between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Guy F. Atkinson Construction is the contractor on the project, which is being built with state and federal funding.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the I-5 (Golden State Freeway) Roadway Rehabilitation Project in North L.A. County?
A: I-5 is the backbone of the state highway system and carries a substantial volume of traffic, including a significant level of truck traffic. The amount of traffic and the age of the roadway require Caltrans to take action to repair and upgrade the highway to handle current and future traffic loads. The work will be performed on I-5 from south of State Route 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) to north of Lake Hughes Road, a distance of 15.8 miles.

Q: What are the times of construction activities?
A: Most of the work will be done at night between approximately 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., but some work will occur during the day.

Q: Will freeway lanes be closed during construction?
A: In general, Caltrans plans to keep at least two freeway lanes open for traffic in the construction zone, except between midnight and 4 a.m. when at least one lane will be kept open for traffic. If a full closure becomes necessary for the safety of the public, it is the policy of Caltrans to provide adequate notice to the public before such a closure and to post signs giving drivers a satisfactory detour around the closure.

Q: Will this project be noisy at night?
A: Noise levels will not exceed state and federal regulations. Caltrans will monitor noise levels during construction to minimize the impact to local neighborhoods. If you experience excessive noise related to this construction project, please contact Caltrans.

Q: Will carpool lanes be constructed as part of this project?
A: No, this is a roadway rehabilitation project. Construction of carpool lanes (also called HOV or High Occupancy Vehicle lanes) on this segment of I-5 is anticipated under a separate project following completion of this project. Metro (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority), in cooperation with Caltrans, is conducting final design for the proposed HOV lanes and extensions of the truck lanes along I-5 from State Route 14 to south of Parker Road in northern Los Angeles County. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2019.

More information about the project is available [here] and [here], and on Twitter @CaltransDist7.