What's Being Planned?

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in partnership with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), is proposing to improve traffic on northbound State Route 57 (SR-57) between Lambert Road and the Orange County/Los Angeles County Line. The project proposes to extend the existing general-purpose lane as a truck-only climbing lane to reduce slowdowns caused by steep grades, heavy truck traffic, and a lane drop near the Lambert Road off-ramp. Three alternatives are being considered: a No Build Alternative and two Build Alternatives, currently under preliminary environmental and engineering review.

Where is the Project?

The project is located on northbound SR‑57 and passes through the City of Brea, in Orange County and some sections of un-incorporated Orange County and extends just into Los Angeles County, see the Project Location Map below.

Project Location Map

The Project considers three alternatives: a No Build Alternative and two Build Alternatives that would add a truck climbing lane (TCL) signed for truck use only on the sustained climbing grade just north of Lambert Road or to just north of Tonner Canyon Road. The planned Northbound TCL would improve operational efficiency to better accommodate regional goods movement on the State Highway System and, where feasible, improve multi-modal efficiency by utilizing advanced technologies to manage transportation demands. 

Caltrans is currently in the preliminary environmental and engineering review phase (also known as Project Approval and Environmental Document, PA&ED). Caltrans would like your input for any issues or matters that you feel should be considered in the environmental document.

Why Does This Project Matter?

This project is needed due to the steep and sustained grades, heavy truck volumes, and a lane drop near the Lambert Road off-ramp that contributes to operational challenges along northbound SR-57. These conditions lead to speed differences between trucks and passenger vehicles which results in reoccurring congestion, difficult merges, and unreliable travel times. Improving this corridor will enhance goods movements and daily travel.

Purpose:
The purpose of this project is:

• Improve operational efficiency of truck traffic in the northbound direction of SR-57 between Lambert Road and the Orange County/Los Angeles County Line to accommodate regional goods movement on the State Highway System (SHS).
• In the northbound direction, extend the outside General Purpose (GP) lane beyond the existing lane drop at the SR 57 northbound Lambert Road Off-Ramp through steep and sustained grades to provide separation of truck traffic and complement recent improvements at the SR-57 Lambert Road Interchange (IC).
• Where feasible, improve multi-modal efficiency and utilize advanced technology to manage current and future transportation demands.

Need:
The project is needed because within the project limits, northbound SR-57 mainline experiences the following deficiencies:

• Operational deficiencies due to steep and sustained climbing grades combined with heavy truck volumes (generally around 8.8% of total volume). 
• Degraded operations resulting from the northbound SR-57 lane drop at the northbound Lambert Road off-ramp.
• Limited multi-modal and Transportation System Management/Transportation Demand Management (TSM/TDM)

Your Voice Matters! How to Participate?

Caltrans welcomes your input as we begin the environmental study phase for the SR‑57 Truck Climbing Lane Project. Community feedback helps us understand local priorities, concerns, and opportunities as we prepare the project’s environmental document.

Public Scoping Meeting

A public scoping period will be open September 14 – October 16, 2026, during which you can review materials and submit comments that become part of the official public record and help inform the development of the environmental analysis. Caltrans invites you to participate in the upcoming virtual scoping meeting;

During this virtual meeting, Caltrans and OCTA staff will be available to answer questions, receive input, and provide an overview of the project's Alternatives, Environmental Process, and Project Schedule.

How to Submit Comments

You can offer feedback in any of the following ways throughout the scoping period:

• Attend the virtual public scoping meeting and provide comments live to the court reporter.
• Email comments to d12.truckclimbinglane57@dot.ca.gov
• Mail written comments to Caltrans District 12, Division of Environmental Analysis, ATTN. Kathleen Dove, 1750 E. 4th Street, Suite 100, Santa Ana, CA 92705 (postmarked by 5 p.m. on October 16, 2026).

Also comment by clicking the blue "Continue" button at the bottom of this page or the "Participate" tab at the top of this page.

Who to Contact for More Information or Accommodations?

To request alternative accommodations to access the project information or attend the virtual public scoping meeting, please contact the Caltrans District 12 Public Information Office at (657) 328-6000. TDD users may contact the California Relay Service line at 1 (800) 735-2929 or Voice Line at 1(800) 735-2922. Requests for alternative accommodation to attend scoping meetings must be made 15 days prior to the scoping meeting.