The Orange County Transportation Authority achieved major milestones and advanced transportation projects in 2025, completing major highway improvements, expanding transit access, and enhancing travel for millions of residents, commuters, and visitors across the region.

Throughout the year, OCTA focused on enhancing mobility, easing congestion, and strengthening the county’s transportation system while managing taxpayer funds.

“Every project we advanced in 2025 delivers real benefits to the public – safer roads, more reliable travel, and better transit options — all while protecting our environment,” said OCTA Chair Doug Chaffee. “These accomplishments reflect our commitment to meeting Orange County’s transportation needs today and for the future.”

Public transit saw multiple advancements, including:

• OCTA’s introduction of the Wave Card, a paperless fare system that speeds boarding, offers flexible reload options and easy mobile payments, and guarantees riders the lowest fares always.

• Enhancing seasonal transit services, such as the OC Fair Express, which welcomed more riders than ever, providing families, seniors, and youth with another way to reach the Fairgrounds while helping reduce traffic congestion.

• Continuing to promote and boost ridership on public transit: OC Bus recorded more than 29.2 million boardings through the end of November, on track to exceed 30 million for the year. And local city shuttles funded by OCTA’s Measure M notched more than 626,000 boardings through the first three quarters of the year.

Testing also began on the OC Streetcar, a 4.15-mile modern streetcar connecting Santa Ana and Garden Grove. All eight streetcar vehicles were completed and delivered in 2025, and testing is set to begin on city streets in the coming weeks. The streetcar will connect riders to Metrolink, OC Bus, and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner.

OCTA’s Environmental Projects Impacting Transit

OCTA also continued its commitment to protect the environment, including the county’s waterways, by funding $3.1 million in local projects that remove transportation-related pollutants before they reach rivers and the ocean.

This year’s funding will help install over 1,400 devices across the county that trap pollutants, improving community health and advancing a 14-year effort that has prevented more than 80 million gallons of trash from reaching waterways. According to an OCTA release, that is the equivalent of covering Angel Stadium’s entire playing field nearly 100 ft. deep in waste.

OCTA also strengthened rail resiliency through projects like the sand-placement project in San Clemente, which protects the coastal rail corridor from erosion and weather-related disruptions, and began work on a 1,400-ft. catchment wall as part of an ongoing effort focused on four priority areas to protect the rail line.

Collectively, these achievements highlight OCTA’s ongoing work to provide reliable and accessible transportation solutions while maximizing the value of taxpayer investments through Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.

Other major accomplishments include:

• Completing the I-5 South County Improvements Project, upgrading 6.5 miles of the highway with new carpool and regular lanes, rebuilding interchanges, and improving pedestrian and bicycle access.

• Making major progress with improvements along SR-55, set to finish in 2027, and breaking ground on SR-91 improvements in Anaheim, which will help drivers move more efficiently through some of the county’s busiest freeways.