The California Transportation Commission (CTC) returned to Riverside on December 7 and 8, its first visit since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting offered an opportunity for CTC members to see the growing Inland Empire in-person and for host agencies RCTC and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) to present highway and passenger rail milestones and reiterate the challenges we face as a region.

“RCTC and SBCTA are leading the way by delivering capital projects, passenger rail, and transit services to a diverse and highly mobile population,” said RCTC First Vice Chair and Lake Elsinore City Council member Bob Magee, who opened the meeting and introduced the executive directors of both agencies before airing a jointly produced video.

RCTC had the opportunity to spotlight 5 capital projects delivered in 2022 – the Route 60 Truck Lanes, the 91 Corridor Operations Project, the I-15 Interim Corridor Operations Project, the I-15 Railroad Canyon Road Interchange, and the I-215 Placentia Avenue Interchange. Additionally, RCTC certified its Tier 1 environmental studies for Coachella Valley Rail, a planned 144-mile passenger rail service between Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley. This certification clears a path for in-depth environmental studies to advance this daily intercity rail service to final design and construction.

In San Bernardino County, SBCTA is finishing its I-10 Express Lanes Project and widening of Route 210, constructing new bridges in San Bernardino and Barstow, as well as 15 interchanges throughout the San Bernardino Valley. In October, the agency opened its Arrow service, providing a new passenger rail connection for southern California residents.

RCTC and SBCTA also work together to promote ridesharing through the IE Commuter program, which encourages carpooling, vanpooling, public transit use, bicycling and walking to work.

Even with the progress made in 2022, Inland Empire residents continue to face heavy traffic congestion, the impacts of goods movement, and limited multimodal options, all of which impede access to jobs and detract from our quality of living.

As the 12^th most populous metro area in the United States, the Inland Empire ranks in the top five in growth nationwide. This growth is a result of the region’s affordable living combined with the 300,000 new housing units required to meet the state’s housing plan, further underscoring the need for and importance of expanded transportation solutions.

RCTC and SBCTA are working together at local, regional, state, and federal levels to bring new transportation investments to inland southern California and continue to move the needle to deliver more mobility options than ever before.

Heading to or from Perris? Drivers have another option to enter and exit Interstate 215 with the opening of the new Placentia Avenue Interchange.

RCTC opened the on-ramps and off-ramps December 13, providing an alternative to the Ramona Expressway ramps to the north and the Nuevo Road ramps to the south. Construction of the $42 million infrastructure investment began in August 2020.

“We are excited to deliver this important piece of infrastructure for our residents of Perris and neighboring communities,” said RCTC Chair and Riverside County 4^th District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “This new interchange expands access to work and school and helps with traffic flow in this rapidly growing area,” he said.

The project provided close to 400 jobs during construction. Crews built the on- and off-ramps, widened the Placentia Avenue bridge over I-215 with new lanes between Harvill Avenue and Indian Road, and added sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and a barrier-separated equestrian path along Placentia Avenue. Crews also constructed detention basins to reduce local street flooding.

The interchange is the first construction segment of the Mid County Parkway, a planned 16-mile corridor between Perris and San Jacinto. RCTC began final design last month of the next Mid County Parkway segment, which will extend 8.6 miles along Ramona Expressway from Warren Road to about one mile east of Rider Street in the County of Riverside.

The Mid County Parkway Ramona Expressway project will address high priority safety needs for this segment of roadway with a history of vehicle collisions. The project also will reduce travel times and promote transportation equity for the Perris and San Jacinto valleys with better connections to I-215, Route 79, Metrolink service, and Riverside Transit Agency service.

RCTC currently is seeking grant funding to build this next section of the MCP. If funds can be secured, construction could start in early 2025.

The Point: Progress Continues for First Mid County Parkway Construction Contract; Design to Advance for Second Contract

Equipment is rolling, pavement is curing, and new on-ramps and off-ramps are taking shape at the Interstate 215 Placentia Avenue Interchange in Perris, with construction more than half completed.

The interchange is the first piece of the Mid County Parkway to be constructed, a planned 16-mile corridor between San Jacinto and Perris. This new corridor is designed to improve travel times between these rapidly growing communities and help address transportation needs through 2040.

“Our crews are continuing to make great progress on this new interchange, and we are eagerly awaiting its opening next year to help with local traffic flow and easier access to I-215 for drivers in the Perris area,” said RCTC Chair Jan Harnik, who also serves as the Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Palm Desert. “Completing this interchange also brings us another step closer to starting construction of the next contract of the Mid County Parkway, an important transportation link between the Perris Valley and San Jacinto Valley,” she said.

RCTC began construction in August 2020 and expects to open the brand-new interchange next summer, providing another way for motorists in this growing area to enter and exit I-215. Located between Ramona Expressway to the north and Nuevo Road to the south, the project also is realigning East Frontage Road, widening the existing Placentia Avenue overcrossing, and adding lanes to Placentia Avenue between Harvill Avenue and Indian Avenue.

The project team has reached a number of milestones:

• Paving is about 90% completed. Only the final asphalt cap needs to be placed on the new roadways and ramps.
• Of the 94 drainage systems on the project, crews have finished 69 (80%).
• The four ramps (northbound I-15 on-ramp and off-ramp; southbound I-15 on-ramp and off-ramp) have been built and are being used intermittently as temporary detours until the project opens next year.
• Crews have completed close to 60% of the electrical work, primarily underground.
• Construction of the two bridges – over I-215 and over the BNSF tracks – is about 15% completed. A 10-month full closure of the Placentia Avenue bridge over I-215 began July 20 to allow crews to safely widen the bridge.

Funding for the $42 million interchange investment is provided by a combination of state funding and Measure A, the twice voter-approved half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements in Riverside County.

As work continues at Placentia Avenue, RCTC is preparing to award a contract for project design for the second construction contract of the Mid County Parkway, also referred to as MCP.  This second MCP contract will construct a new three-mile road from Redlands Avenue north of Placentia Avenue to Ramona Expressway south of Lake Perris.

This alignment will offer a new east-west alternative to heavily traveled Ramona Expressway/Cajalco Road, with a traffic signal at each end, and no stops or driveways in between. The non-tolled roadway will be two lanes in each direction for most of the corridor, divided by a concrete median barrier, and then narrow to one lane in each direction at Redlands Avenue and at the eastern connection to Ramona Expressway. Crews will build a bridge over Evans Road and the Perris Valley Storm Drain as part of the project.

RCTC has not determined additional construction contracts for the MCP; these contracts will depend upon future available funds.

To learn more about the I-215 Placentia Avenue Interchange and the MCP, please visit rctc.org/mcp

The Point: Closure will keep workers safe and save overall construction time

Road closed ahead! As part of RCTC’s Interstate 215 Placentia Avenue Interchange Project in Perris, the Placentia Avenue bridge over I-215 will be fully closed for about 10 months starting Tuesday, July 20.

The full closure will allow crews to demolish the existing bridge and build a wider bridge over I-215, while safely separating crews from passing vehicles. The closure also will reduce the overall construction time from 2.5 years to two years. RCTC began project construction in August 2020 and remains on track to open the new interchange in summer 2022.

“This closure is a major milestone for the project,” said RCTC Chair Jan Harnik. It’s exciting to see the progress we have made since we started construction last summer and how this project will help the growing city of Perris.”

Several detour routes have been set for the bridge closure: Ramona Expressway to the north, Nuevo Road to the south, Harvill Avenue west of I-215, and Indian Avenue east of I-215.

Drivers should allow extra travel time and follow posted speed limits, especially when traveling on Indian Avenue near Val Verde Elementary School between Placentia Avenue and Orange Avenue. Construction activity and timing is subject to change.

In addition to the bridge closure, all lanes on I-215 will be closed overnight during the bridge demolition and to place – and later remove – support structures to build the wider bridge.

The interchange is designed to meet the needs of the area’s growing population by adding ramps to enter and exit I-215 at Placentia Avenue and improving traffic flow by realigning East Frontage Road, widening the bridge over I-215, and adding lanes to Placentia Avenue between Harvill Avenue and Indian Avenue. The project also will enhance safety with new storm water detention basins to relieve local street flooding and promote better air quality, due to fewer idling vehicles and less gas consumption. During construction, approximately 425 jobs have been created.

The project is the first construction segment of the Mid County Parkway, a future 16-mile east-west route between Perris and San Jacinto. Other construction segments of the Mid County Parkway are not funded, so the timing of further work is uncertain.

Funding for the Placentia Avenue interchange is provided by a combination of state funding and Measure A, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements in Riverside County.

Learn more: rctc.org/placentia

The Point: February is the month of love, and RCTC offers a shout-out to its design and construction teams

Candy hearts. Long-stemmed roses. Mushy-squishy Valentine’s Day cards. Rain. Snow. Sunshine. Vaccinations. Construction equipment… February has brought a mixed bag to Riverside County, but as the month draws to a close, RCTC is showing its love to our construction crews and design teams for their continued work on transportation projects across the region.

RCTC is sponsoring more than a dozen projects, which are providing close to 10,000 jobs in western Riverside County. These projects have helped mitigate some of the job losses from the COVID-19 pandemic and have kept construction workers, engineers, land surveyors, inspectors, and office staff busy delivering projects, large and small.

Several construction projects are nearing completion, so watch for announcements of opening dates:

• The 15 Express Lanes through Jurupa Valley, Eastvale, Norco, and Corona are scheduled to open this spring. Crews are testing tolling equipment, training customer service representatives, restriping lanes, and finishing “punch-list” items. Learn more.
• The Metrolink Riverside-Downtown Station Layover Facility is expected to be completed this spring. This project will allow more trains to be housed at the station at the end of each night shift, creating more efficient passenger rail service and increased on-site maintenance.
• The Pachappa Overpass in Riverside should be completed this fall. Crews have been building a retaining wall and removing part of the overhead railroad bridge.

Other projects are continuing full speed ahead, including those in Lake Elsinore, Perris, Corona, and Riverside County’s Badlands:

• Work on the I-15 Railroad Canyon Road Interchange in Lake Elsinore began in May and is forecast to open in late 2022. The project is building auxiliary lanes on I-15 to help drivers enter and exit the highway near Railroad Canyon, adding lanes on Railroad Canyon, and rebuilding ramps.
• In Perris, the first construction phase of the Mid County Parkway, the I-215 Placentia Avenue Interchange, began in August. Crews are adding on- and off-ramps to Placentia Avenue, realigning East Frontage Road, widening the Placentia Avenue overcrossing, and adding lanes to Placentia Avenue between Harvill Avenue and Indian Avenue. The interchange should open in summer 2022.
• The 91 Corridor Operations Project in Corona began in November and is fast-tracked to open by late this year. The project is adding a lane to westbound 91 between the Green River Road on-ramp and the 241 Toll Road to help ease morning traffic congestion.
• Further east, crews are continuing work on the Route 60 Truck Lanes between Beaumont and Moreno Valley. In addition to adding a truck lane in both directions, the project is improving drainage, building wildlife crossings, and greatly expanding the roadway inside and outside shoulders for a safer driving experience. Crews also have been repairing the roadway from winter rainstorms. The new lanes are set to open in 2022.

Construction is right around the corner for the 15/91 Express Lanes Connector in Corona. This project will provide a direct link between the eastbound 91 Express Lanes and northbound 15 Express Lanes, as well as between the southbound 15 Express Lanes and the westbound 91 Express Lanes. Work is set to start this spring, and the connector is scheduled to open by 2023.

Project teams also are working on pre-construction activities and environmental/engineering studies for the 71/91 Interchange, the 15 Corridor Operations Project, the 15 Express Lanes Project Southern Extension, the San Gorgonio Pass-Coachella Valley Rail Project, the Santa Ana River Trail, and the next phase of the Mid County Parkway. Visit rctc.org/projects and register to receive updates using the “Contact Us” forms.