Orange County Branch Newsletter

January 2022

ASCE OC T&DI

ASCE OC T&DI - OCTA Update

By Charlotte Wu, PE, ENV SP, STP | T&DI - Secretary



ASCE OC T&DI held another virtual presentation on Tuesday, December 14th with speaker from OCTA, Chief Executive Officer, Darrell Johnson. This presentation provided updates to several on-going OCTA projects, upcoming projects, and the agency’s plan for the funding through the newly passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Read on for highlights of the presentation.

This virtual meeting provided a platform for everyone to network. All participants were sent to separate breakout rooms prior to the main presentation in smaller groups of 10 people or less, while the event sponsors received exclusive access to chat with the speaker.

From the IIJA, OCTA will receive $1 billion in the next five years with half going towards the transit program and the other going towards the highway program. The $1.2 trillion IIJA was signed into law on November 15, 2021 by President Biden. The IIJA will provide nearly half a trillion dollars towards transportation infrastructure including roads and bridges.

On-going projects are making critical milestones. I-405 Improvement Project is expected to be complete in October of 2023. The project hit a milestone of completion of several bridges and pavement construction. The total cost of the project is $2.08 billion. The OC Streetcar Project is expected to be complete in March of 2024. The project will add an additional $86 million to the total cost. The construction of the three I-5 South County Improvements Projects, El Toro Road to Alicia Parkway, Alicia Parkway to Oso Parkway, and Oso Parkway to Avery Parkway will be completed in mid-2025, late 2023, and late 2024, respectively. The SR-55 Improvements Project from I-405 to I-5 is currently out for bid for construction and it is expected to start in 2022.

Mr. Johnson also provided a current outlook of the contract opportunities in the coming year of 2022 and up to 2026. Those contract opportunities are available at cammnet.octa.net.

This program was sponsored by HNTB, HDR, and Earth Mechanics. With 103 people registered for this presentation, T&DI wrapped up 2021 with a strong finish.


About the Author:

Charlotte Wu is a Transportation Engineer with AECOM. Charlotte is passionate about designing transportation projects that improve the quality of life while maintaining a balanced and sustainable community. Outside of work, she enjoys outdoor activities such as running, snowboarding, and riding. Charlotte can be contacted at charlotte.wu@aecom.com.


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