Laguna Canyon Road (SR133) is being made wider to provide a shoulder for us, but during construction, the road has been narrowed to 2 narrow lanes. There is no shoulder on the uphill - inland side, and downhill toward Laguna there is a narrow shoulder stripped right up along the concrete K-Rails).
Vehicle traffic can always get ugly on the ‘Canyon’ so if you are in the travel lane with bumper to bumper traffic, CONTROL your lane, and expect motorists to tailgate you. Don’t move to the edge and invite a close passing risk, or try to pass on the right. It is only a bit over 1/2 mile until the wider shoulder resumes to ride in. Despite “SHARE THE ROAD” signs posted;
If traffic is light, expect motorists to come up at freeway speeds behind you…

Going downhill it is easier to pick up speed and merge into the travel lane BEHIND the platoon of tailgating motorists, if you time the light at the 73. Some hold up at the signal UNTIL the traffic gets stopped with red light, and then have the whole stretch to take the travel lane.
Stay in the travel lane and you will be most visible and consequential to the next platoon when it gets the green light at the 73. Control and release the lane only when safe for you to do so. Once you control the first motorists, the rest will be held up behind.

It will be a bit slower and longer timewise climbing uphill, but even more important where there is no shoulder. Riding the edge invites unsafe passing, so control your lane until safe for you to ride the shoulder again.

If you go between Laguna and Irvine, expect this 1/2 mile pinch points and use extreme caution or choose the longer way around the 'canyon' on El Toro Road (only adds 2.5 miles to avoid the 0.6 mile project zone).
SB Detour: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34389510
NB Detour: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34389593

This detour may or may not have been posted by Caltrans.

NB: Take El Toro Road all the way to Moulton, turn west to Lake Forest and take Lake Forest back west to the Romano/Pavona sidewalk. (or Stay on El Toro & turn North on Laguna Canyon.
Instead of the 4.1 miles and 232 feet of climb from El Toro to Lake Forest on the shoulder of the 133 Laguna Canyon Highway, the detour takes you 6.7 miles and climbs 451 feet. (Add 2.6 miles and 219 feet of climb)
Until the road work is completed - BCI will SKIP Routes #25 & #26 that go this way…

SB: Take the Pavona/Romano sidewalks to Lake Forest, (or turn left from Laguna Canyon East onto Lake Forest); Go right on Moulton, and then right on El Toro Road all the way to Laguna Canyon, past the pinch point.
Until the road work is completed - BCI will SKIP Route #25 and offer detours on #18, #26, and Tuesday #04.

Did we metion, it may take 2 years before the work is completed, utilities are put in, and the improved road is restriped and this concern will be over…