The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced a new end date for the completion of the Interstate 5 North County Enhancements Project, with the expansion’s wrap-up period scheduled for March 2027.
Metro spokeswomen Saroya Sandiford and Chloe Lee presented on the project’s updated timeline in a webinar Wednesday evening, thanking community members for their patience with road closures and other driver impacts on the I-5 between the Newhall Pass and Castaic.
“We know this stage has brought a lot of extended closures of ramps … (and) heavy equipment along our project corridor. We just want to say thank you for your patience,” Sandiford said. “It’s all gearing up for the final stage.”
The North County Enhancements Project began in 2021 with stage one – which includes construction on medians, carpool lanes, walls and bridges – and, as of this time last year, had an end date slated for some time in 2026.
According to Metro’s presentation Wednesday, the project is finalizing stage one work in December this year and is currently at 62% completion.
Construction on the Gavin Canyon Undercrossing Bridge, the Rye Canyon Road Bridge, the Santa Clara Overhead Crossing, the Weldon Canyon Road Overcrossing and the Magic Mountain Parkway bridge will be ongoing through the end of this year, according to Metro.
Retaining walls in several locations will also be under construction through the rest of this year, according to Metro.
At the same time, the project is about halfway through stage two, which covers auxiliary lanes and ramp work, with a completion date set for December 2026.
Drivers can expect intermittent ramp closures at Calgrove Boulevard and Hasley Canyon Road for up to 30 days into 2026, according to the Wednesday presentation. Those closures may occur until the summer, according to Metro’s website.
During the presentation Q&A, when asked about whether cars would have to use the dedicated truck lanes to merge on and off the freeway, Paul Sullivan, a Metro project manager, clarified that the new truck lanes wouldn’t be sequestered to trucks.
“That’d be the same lane commuters would use to get on and off,” Sullivan said.
The project’s third stage, focused on exterior retaining walls, has a new start date in March next year and will end sometime in December 2026, according to Metro.
Drivers can expect intermittent road closures on Rye Canyon Road through January 2026, as well as on The Old Road through the end of this year. Closures can occur Monday through Friday, and Saturdays as needed, between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Upcoming dates exempt from the closures include Nov. 21 through Dec. 1 for the Thanksgiving holiday and Dec. 24-29 for Christmas.
