Crown Valley Parkway will be widened to eight lanes from the freeway to the eastern city boundary just past Jardines. In addition to widening the freeway, the 26-month project will add dual left turn lanes at the Crown Valley Parkway/Marguerite intersection and on westbound Crown Valley into the entrances of Mission Hospital and the Shops at Mission Viejo. The $17.5 million project will also include landscape improvements and monuments of changeable artwork. For more information about the project, please click on the navigation tabs above.
Traffic Relief Project
Construction Update
Crown Valley Parkway Widening Improvements
The road widening on the south side has been completed, and the third eastbound lane now extends beyond Bellogente to the east City limit. The road widening is proceeding well on the north side and the new westbound lane west of Marguerite Parkway should be in place by the end of June.
OCTA recently awarded the City $487,280 in Intersection Improvement Program (IIP) funds to add a right turn pocket to westbound Crown Valley Parkway at Marguerite Parkway. This work will be incorporated into the work on the north side east of Marguerite this summer.
Once the outside widening has been completed, the traffic will be shifted to the outside to establish a median construction zone. The median modifications are the final phase of the roadway improvements and should be substantially complete in the fall.
Once the roadway improvements are completed, Crown Valley Parkway will have the following capacity features, which will significantly improve traffic flow:
- Four thru-lanes in both directions
- Dual left-turn lanes and designated right turn lanes in all four directions at the intersection of Crown Valley and Marguerite
- Dual left-turn lanes in both directions at Puerta Real / Mall Entrance
- Dual left-turn lanes westbound at Medical Center Road
Until the median modifications are complete, the City will maintain three thru-lanes in both directions, except for temporary lane closures for certain construction operations.
Many people have inquired about the timing of the traffic signals on Crown Valley Parkway during and after construction. The construction has disturbed the automatic detection system, which typically controls the traffic signal timing. A fixed cycle sequential timing scheme has been implemented to optimize traffic flow. However, this timing scheme requires long cycle lengths in order to work effectively. This means long wait times on side streets and long red lights on Crown Valley when you hit them. Once construction of the new roadway configuration is complete and the traffic signal detection system has been restored, traffic movements will be studied and a signal synchronization scheme will be designed and implemented.
In addition to adding traffic capacity, the Crown Valley Widening Project will improve the appearance of the Crown Valley Parkway corridor with median and parkway landscape enhancements, pilasters featuring public artwork, banner poles, and decorative lighting