Orange County's Ortega Highway closed for storm-related road repairs

One of Orange County's major roads is closed after engineers discovered a segment of the road was damaged by recent storms. The Ortega Highway, part of State Route 74, is a 28-mile road that connects the 5 Freeway in Orange County to the 15 Freeway in Riverside County — specifically, San Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore.

The road closed Wednesday afternoon after crews discovered a dip in the road that indicates a storm drain or culvert may have collapsed beneath the road. 

"Roads are built in layers, so it's like dominoes: once one layer weakens and collapses, then the others follow as well," said Caltrans spokesperson Jocelyn Whitfield. "Luckily, we caught this one in time."

Ortega Highway is a winding road through the mountains that can get pretty congested at times. Caltrans estimates 31,600 vehicles use it every day. Trucks use it to access a nearby landfill, and in certain places, the road is just two lanes. When the road closes though, commuters must tack on more time and about 30 extra miles by taking a detour north to the 91 or south to the 76 in San Diego County. 

That's what they'll have to do for the next few weeks. Whitfield said the timeline depends on the assessment by engineers. Commuters who use Ortega Highway are somewhat used to closures on the road, either due to collisions or other issues, Whitfield said.

"They've been here, done that before," Whitfield said. "They know what to expect. They know that this is going to be a huge inconvenience and they're not happy about it, but they also know this is life on Ortega."