Valley View Avenue Interchange

Schedule: Construction began in late 2016.
Currently: 95% complete.
Construction Cost: $640 Million

Project Overview

In mid-November of 2016 Caltrans began construction on the Valley View Avenue Interchange Project, which will add a High Occupancy Vehicle and mixed-flow lane in each direction along approximately one and a half miles of I-5 at Valley View Avenue, from the Artesia Boulevard undercrossing to North Fork Coyote Creek. The project extends through the cities of Buena Park, La Mirada, Cerritos, and Santa Fe Springs.

Three bridges were reconstructed: the Valley View Avenue Bridge at I-5, the North Firestone Boulevard Bridge over Coyote Creek, and the I-5 freeway bridge at Coyote Creek. Lanes will be kept open on the Valley View Avenue Bridge during construction. There will also be improvements to the interchange at Valley View Avenue and adjacent frontage roads. The new bridge includes a railroad overpass.

Project improvements include: a new Valley View Ave. Bridge with three lanes in each direction instead of two; the addition of one HOV (high occupancy vehicle or car pool) lane in each direction; one mixed-flow lane in each direction; interchange modifications at Valley View Avenue and Artesia Boulevard; frontage road modifications; and improved on and off ramp connections.

Milestone Timeline:

The first half of Valley View Ave. Bridge opened to traffic on October 7, 2019 with one lane in each direction. A second lane opened to traffic on the southbound side of the Valley View Avenue Bridge on September 18, 2020. A second lane opened to traffic on the northbound side on May 4, 2022.
The new Valley View Ave. off ramp from southbound I-5 opened on September 19, 2020.
New S. Firestone connector ramp to southbound Valley View Ave. Bridge opened on February 28. 2021.
N. Firestone Blvd. re-opened between Knott Ave. and Trojan Way on February 28, 2021.
New S. Firestone Blvd. running under the Valley View Ave. Bridge opened on July 13, 2020.
New I-5 northbound HOV lane from Alondra Blvd. to the Orr & Day Rd. railroad overhead, south of Florence Avenue, opened on February 11, 2022. As of June 30, four all-purpose lanes plus one HOV lane are open from the Orange County line to south of Florence Ave.
New I-5 southbound HOV lane from just south of the Florence Ave. Bridge in Santa Fe Springs to the Orange County line opened on Friday, April 8, 2022.
In the southbound lanes of N. Firestone Blvd. at Valley View Ave. a second lane opened in spring of 2022.
The new Valley View Avenue loop off ramp from northbound I-5 opened June 28. The old ramp is permanently closed and is being demolitshed.
As of Thursday, September 1, 2022, three lanes were open to traffic in each direction of the Valley View Avenue Bridge.
The new Valley View Avenue on ramp to southbound I-5 opened on Friday, September 2, 2022.
The S. Firestone Blvd. ramp connecting to the west side of the Valley View Avenue Bridge opened on Friday, September 2, 2022.
As of Wednesday, April 5, 2023 northbound lanes of I-5 at Valley View Avenue were shifted back to the east inot their final configuration and all new lanes of northbound and southbound I-5, all new lanes on the Valley View Avenue Bridge and all new on and off ramps were open.

On northbound I-5 there are now four all-purpose traffic lanes plus one HOV lane from the Orange County line to the Orr & Day Road railroad overhead just south of the Florence Ave. Bridge. Then there are three all purpose lanes, plus two auxiliary lanes connecting to the northbound and southbound I-605. Under the I-605 Bridge, I-5 reverts to four all-purpose lanes, plus a fifth auxiliary lane connecting traffic from I-605 to I-5. Then it reduces again to four all-purpose lanes.

On southbound I-5 there are now five lanes where traffic merges from the I-605 interchange until the Orr & Day railroad overhead. Then it changes to four all-purpose lanes and one HOV lane to the Orange County line, where lanes match those on the Orange County side.

There are now three lanes in each direction of the Valley View Avenue Bridge.

Also, please go to our Twitter page at twitter.com/My5LA for project updates.