Murow Development Consultants is proud to see the mention of our Construction Management job of the I-5 and Valle Rd. at La Novia Interchange Improvements (San Juan Capistrano Roundabout) in the OC Register. The Project Manager on the job is Mr. Brad Oien and the Senior Construction Manager is Mr. Eddie Silveri. As the project nears completion, Murow Development Consultants will announce the date of the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the San Juan Capistrano Roundabout.
Below is the article from the OC Register:
Written By: By FRED SWEGLES / STAFF WRITER
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – The city is just weeks away from opening its first traffic circle, expected to ease the way for motorists as they exit northbound I-5 into what, until now, has been a disjointed San Juan Creek Road off-ramp.
Streets there aren’t symmetrically lined up, and drivers arriving at stop signs have tended to hesitate, unsure if it is their turn to go. The off-ramp sometimes backs up.
Putting a traffic circle at the intersection of Valle Road and La Novia Avenue is designed to create much freer flow, eliminating the need for stop signs. Instead of drivers having to stop on each corner, they will be free to enter the circle if no one in the circle is approaching them.
“The person in the circle has the right of way,” said George Alvarez, city engineer. “The person entering the roundabout has to yield.”
Taylor Morrison Homes is building the roundabout for the city, estimated to cost over $1.6 million, as an offset for impacts of the nearby 416-home Pacifica San Juan community. Pacifica San Juan presently has no road connection to Valle Road, but once the roundabout opens, Taylor Morrison will be authorized to provide one.
It could open in July.
Phil Bodem, president of Taylor Morrison’s Southern California division, acknowledged at the launch of the the new development that the I-5 exit onto Valle Road has had a longstanding need.
“It’s a four-way stop that’s not aligned,” he said. “It’s a mess.”
La Novia Avenue has been closed at Valle Road since early December for construction of the traffic circle and is scheduled to reopen, barring delays, on Monday. When La Novia reopens, the I-5 on- and off-ramps are scheduled to close for about two weeks so work on the roundabout can be completed.
“In the absence of inclement weather, the roundabout will be opened to traffic in mid-February,” City Manager Ben Siegel said in a project update. Landscaping of the roundabout will follow and could be completed in April.
Once the roundabout opens, Taylor Morrison can connect Avenida California to Valle Road, providing Pacifica San Juan’s residents with a new way to get to and from downtown San Juan and other parts of town.
The traditional route has been Las Ramblas to I-5 at the Beach Cities curve, then the freeway into town.