Traffic Improvement Projects Planned In Lake Forest

LAKE FOREST, CA — Improvements to 10 Lake Forest intersections are scheduled to be finished over the next three years, the city said.

According to the city, the improvement projects aim to mitigate the traffic impacts from previously approved County of Orange and Lake Forest developments.

Funding for the projects is provided by the County of Orange Foothill Circulation-Phasing Plan, the Lake Forest Transportation Mitigation Program and The Meadows development agreement.

Here's a run down on the traffic improvement projects in Lake Forest:

• Bake and Baffin Bay
• The first recently-completed traffic improvement project, crews installed raised medians on Baffin Bay to restrict left turns and increase traffic safety.
• El Toro/Santa Margarita/Portola
• This project is currently under construction. The City of Lake Forest is widening to add dual left and right turn lanes on El Toro Road, and completion is anticipated for fall 2023.
• Los Alisos/Rockfield
• The City of Lake Forest will restripe westbound lanes of Los Alisos Boulevard to include a shared through right-turn lane. Construction is scheduled to begin in winter 2023 and end in spring 2024.
• Lake Forest/Rancho
• The city will restripe southbound lanes of Rancho Parkway to accommodate a shared through right-turn lane. Construction is scheduled to start winter 2023 and end in spring 2024.
• Bake/Irvine Boulevard/Trabuco
• The City of Lake Forest plans on widening eastbound Bake Parkway to add dual left turn lanes and a dedicated right turn lane. In addition, widening will occur on northbound Irvine Boulevard to add a 4th through lane that includes a shared through-right turn option. Construction is slotted for the 2025 calendar year, and the plan is contingent upon SoCal Edison relocating transmission poles on westbound Bake Parkway, the city said.
• Bake/Toledo
• The city will widen northbound lanes on Toledo Way and add dual left turn lanes and a shared through-right turn lane. Construction is anticipated for 2024.
• Bake/Jeronimo
  • This project, led by the City of Irvine, will require both Irvine and Lake Forest to add a shared through-right turn lane northbound on Jeronimo and add dual left turn lanes in every direction that does not have them.
    • The City of Lake Forest will add an "aesthetically pleasing" retaining wall on the landscaped slope along Jeronimo that is adjacent to the Lake Forest Keys property to help with the widening of the shared through-right lane. Construction is slotted for 2026.