The El Toro "Y" is a freeway interchange in southern Orange County, California where the Santa Ana Freeway, Interstate 5, and the San Diego Freeway, Interstate 405 merge. South of that point, it retains the name "San Diego Freeway" but the highway designation "Interstate 5." The junction, located in southeastern Irvine, is named for the El Toro region, itself named after the nearby Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. (The base closed in 1999 and much of the area incorporated as the City of Lake Forest). Location of Orange County within California. ... The Santa Ana Freeway is the name of a segment of Interstate 5 (I-5) between Los Angeles, California and its southeastern suburbs. ... MAJOR JUNCTIONS JUNCTION POSTMILE Mexico Federal Highway 1 British Columbia provincial highway 99 Legend BROWSE STATE HWYS CA-4 CA-7 Interstate 5, or I-5, is an interstate highway along the west coast of the United States. ... Interstate 405 is the designation of three different tertiary interstate routes of Interstate 5. ... The San Diego Freeway (partly designated Interstate 405, and part of Interstate 5 south of the El Toro Y) is one of the principal north-south highways in Southern California, and the major beltway of I-5 running through Southern California. ... Mitchell Freeway in Perth, Western Australia For other uses, see Highway (disambiguation). ... Location of Irvine within Orange County, California. ... Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a military airport located near Irvine, California. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Location Location of Lake Forest within Orange County, California. ...

The "Y" is one of the busiest interchanges in the world; from 1975 to 2002, daily traffic surged from from 102,000 to 356,000 vehicles a day.¹ By the early 1990s it had also become one of the most congested, its severe overcrowding fed by a housing boom in southern Orange County. 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ...

In November 1990, Orange County voters approved Measure M, a half-cent increase in the county sales tax to finance transportation improvements. In 1993, the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) began a massive expansion project, adding a new interchange at Bake Parkway, new collector/distributor lanes, and new carpool lanes and connectors. The $166-million project also vastly increased regular traffic lanes. After the project was completed in 1997, the El Toro Y stood as the widest roads in the world, at 26 traffic lanes wide. 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A sales tax is a tax on consumption. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Caltrans logo The soaring ramps in the stack interchanges favored by Caltrans often provide stunning views. ... A permanent, separated high-occupancy vehicle lane on I-91 in Connecticut A high occupancy vehicle (or HOV) is any vehicle with a driver and one or more (or sometimes two or more, or three or more) passengers. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The traffic delays at the interchange sparked the construction of several parallel bypass toll roads. The San Joaquin Hills Toll Road, designated California State Highway 73, opened in November 1996 and connects San Juan Capistrano and Costa Mesa. An extension to California State Highway 241, the Foothill Toll Road, is under development. It would bypass the El Toro Y to the east and connect to I-5 in northern San Diego County. A high-speed toll booth on SR 417 near Orlando, Florida A toll gate on the Sayama bypass (Saitama prefectural road 397) in Japan Toll gate A toll road, turnpike or tollpike is a road on which a toll authority collects a fee for use. ... JUNCTION MILE POST I-405 OC ?? SR-55 OC ?? SR-133 OC ?? I-5 OC ?? Legend < Route 72 Route 74 > The California State Highways 73 through San Joaquin Hills California State Route 73, also called the Corona Del Mar Freeway and the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor, is a 15... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Location of San Juan Capistrano within Orange County, California. ... Costa Mesa is a city located in Orange County, California. ... The Foothill Toll Road (also called The Foothill Transportation Corridor) is a 12-mile tollway in Orange County, California. ... Location of San Diego County within California. ...

Reference

1. Weikel, Dan. "The Road More Heavily Traveled," Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2004.

The Los Angeles Times (also LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the western United States. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from MapQuest or Google Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Maps