Orange Crush interchange
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Orange Crush interchange, is a freeway interchange in the City of Orange, in Orange County, California. The interchange is located three miles northwest of Downtown Santa Ana, California.
The interchange is comprised of five freeway segments (i.e. there are five freeway 'paths' of travel into the complex) of three major highways:
Significant construction funded by Measure M in the late 1990s and early 2000s has greatly improved the efficiency and safety of motorists traveling through the interchange. Most of the transitions were re-aligned and/or widened during this reconstruction, including the addition of HOV transitions between SR-57 and I-5. Prior to its reconstruction, driving through was challenging and, combined with heavy traffic volume, resulted in frustrating traffic congestion, hence the name "Orange Crush."
In late 2004 the Orange County Transportation Authority began a construction project to widen the entire length of SR-22, including the stretch through the Orange Crush Interchange. Construction called for the closing of the connector from eastbound SR-22 to southbound I-5 for one year, from November 2005 to November 2006. The project is scheduled to be completed at the end of November 2006.
The 2002 edition of the Guinness World Records book cites this as the most complex road interchange in the world, stating that it is an intersection of 34 different routes.
The name of the interchange is a play on the name of the eponymous soda.
[edit] External links
- Orange County Register article on SR-22 project - November 11, 2006
- Orange County Transportation Authority official site - SR-22 Project
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps or MapQuest
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, or WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
