SR-133/SR-241 Silverado Fire Restoration Project
Project Description
The California Department of Transportation (Department) District 12 initiated a major damage permanent restoration improvement and promoting resilient operations project to repair severely damaged Transportation assets caused by the 2020 Silverado Fire and to improve the resilience of other existing roadway assets considered to be within a fire hazard severity zone. The improvements will be in Orange County, California on State Route 133 (SR-133) from Post Mile (PM) 11.4 to PM 13.6, and on State Route 241 (SR-241) from PM 24.5 to PM 35.7 in the cities of Irvine, Orange, and Orange County, Unincorporated. The proposed project build improvements would include improvements along SR-133 south of Irvine Boulevard (Blvd) Over Crossing (OC) to Junction (Jct.) SR-241 and on SR-241 south of Portola Parkway (Pkwy) OC to NB off- ramp Toll Plaza. Two alternatives are being considered, The Build and No Build Alternative.
The proposed improvements of the build alternative include necessary repairs on the fire damaged guardrails, drainage facilities, roadway signs, and electrical systems. Moreover, the build alternative also aims to improve the existing infrastructure by making it more resilient to extreme weather and natural disasters. The project’s proactive approach includes drainage improvements, upgrade traffic safety devices, replacement of pavement sections impacted by the culvert replacement, landscaping replacement, electrolier replacement, and conductor loop replacement.
The Department is the Lead Agency for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), with the environmental determination being a Categorical Exclusion (CE). The Department is also the Lead Agency for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). An Initial Study (IS), leading to a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) is the CEQA Document.
An IS with MND has been prepared for this project, which documents potential environmental impacts and proposed avoidance, minimization and/or mitigation of potential impacts associated with the proposed Build Alternative.
Anticipated Project Schedule
- Public Comment Period - May 01, 2025 - May 30, 2025
- Project Approval & Environmental Document - June 26, 2025
- Completion of Project Design - May 2026
- Start of Construction - Fall 2026
- Opening Year - Summer 2032
Final Environmental Document
The Department has publicly circulated the Draft Environmental Document - Initial Study to the public for 30 days between May 1, 2025 and May 30, 2025. Comments received during this period are included in Chapter 4 of the Mitigated Negative Declaration, accessible via link below. Throughout this document, a vertical line in the margin indicates a substantial change made since the draft document circulation. Hardcopies of this document are available for review at the Caltrans District 12 office at 1750 East 4th Street, Suite 100, Santa Ana, California 92705.
Documents
Accessibility Assistance: Caltrans makes every attempt to ensure our documents are accessible. Due to variances between assistive technologies, there may be portions of this document which are not accessible. Where documents cannot be made accessible, we are committed to providing alternative access to the content. Should you need additional assistance, please contact the Caltrans District 12 Public Information Office at (657) 328-6000 or visit https://dot.ca.gov/request-ada-compliant-documents.
Final Environmental Document
Technical Studies
- Geotechnical Design Report (GDR)
- Hazardous Waste, Noise, and Air Quality Technical Memorandum
- Historic Property Survey Report (HPSR)
- Initial Site Assessment (ISA) Checklist
- Location Hydraulic Study/Floodplain Evaluation Report (LHS/FER) Summary Forms
- Questionnaire to Determine Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) Level
- Natural Environment Study (Mitigated Impact) (Updated June 2025)
- Paleontological Identification Report/Paleontological Evaluation Report (PIR/PER)
- Water Quality Technical Memorandum
Contacts
Project Email: SR-133-241-SilveradoFireRestoration@dot.ca.gov