Ortega Highway To Fully Close This Week During Nighttime Hours

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — Construction work to widen the Ortega Highway on the Riverside County side continues, with weeknight full closures starting Monday, according to Caltrans District 8.

Orange County residents should prepare for delays when traveling to Riverside, Caltrans said.

The full closures will be in place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. March 21-25, and commuters — including local residents — will need to use alternate routes, the state agency said.

The work will take place from the Riverside/Orange county line to just west of Lake Elsinore at Monte Vista Street. Crews will be doing striping, drilling, rock excavation, drainage work and cable draping in various areas along the work zone, Caltrans reported.

Motorists who travel through the area between 8 p.m. and 9:59 p.m. Monday through Friday can expect delays as crews prepare for the nightly closures, according to the agency.