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 anticipated 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 anticipated CEQA Document. 

An IS with Proposed 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 - End of June 2025
• Completion of Project Design - May 2026
• Start of Construction - Fall 2026
• Open Year - Summer 2032

Draft Environmental Document 

The Department will be publicly circulating he Draft Environmental Document - Initial Study to the public for 30 days between May 1, 2025 and May 30, 2025. Hardcopies and electronic copies of this document are available for review at the CA Department of Transportation - District 12 office at 1750 East 4th Street, Suite 100, Santa Ana, California 92705, on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. The documents are also available at the following locations during normal business hours:

• OC Library – Heritage Park Regional Branch (May 1 - May 15)
  • Address: 14361 Yale, Irvine, CA 92604
  • Hours: Mon - Thu: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Fri - Sat: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
  • Note: The Heritage Park Library will be closing on May 15th. Following the closure, the document will be posted at the Tustin location for the remainder of the circulation period.
•  OC Library - Tustin Branch (May 16 - May 30)
  • Address: 345 E Main St, Tustin, CA 92780
  • Hours: Mon - Thu: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Fri/Sun: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• OC Library – Foothill Ranch Branch (May 1 - May 30)
  • Address: 27002 Cabriole, Foothill Ranch, CA 92610
  • Hours: Mon - Thu: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and Sat: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Please submit your comments or request for a public hearing no later than 5:00 pm, May 30, 2025 via email to: SR-133-241-SilveradoFireRestoration@dot.ca.gov, or in writing to: Carmen Lo, Associate Environmental Planner, the Department District 12, Division of Environmental Analysis, 1750 East 4th Street, Suite 100, Santa Ana, CA 92705. The date we will begin accepting comments is May 1, 2025. If there are no major comments, the Department will proceed with the project’s design.

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.

Draft Environmental Document

• Initial Study/ Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration
• Notice of Availability (English)
• Notice of Availability (Spanish)

Technical Studies

• Geotechnical Design Report (GDR)
• Hazardous Waste, Noise, and Air Quality Technical Memorandum
• Historic Property Survey Report (HPSR)
• Location Hydraulic Study/Floodplain Evaluation Report (LHS/FER) Summary Forms
• Questionnaire to Determine Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) Level
• Natural Environment Study (Mitigated Impact)
• Paleontological Identification Report/Paleontological Evaluation Report (PIR/PER)
• Water Quality Technical Memorandum

Contacts

Project Email: SR-133-241-SilveradoFireRestoration@dot.ca.gov