During its 33rd Annual Awards Gala, the Construction Management Association of America awarded RCTC’s 71/91 Interchange and I-15 Smart Freeway Pilot Project each with the organization’s prestigious Project Achievement Award. This distinction celebrates the very best in the field – projects that set the standard for excellence and serve as inspiration for the entire industry.

Whether it’s delivering a new connector on the 71/91 interchange, or implementing solutions on the I-15, the Commission continues to lead the way in delivering transportation improvements in our region.

The 71/91 Interchange in Corona replaced an outdated single-lane loop connector with a new, two-lane direct connector. The non-tolled connector is designed to improve safety, expand access, and enhance traffic flow. In southwest Riverside County, the recently completed I-15 Smart Freeway Pilot Project – the first-of-its-kind project in California – incorporated “smart” technology on nearly eight miles of road to optimize traffic flow along the heavily traveled northbound I-15.

Projects like these advance the Commission’s mission to deliver mobility solutions for the people of Riverside County.

Over the past two years, the residents of the Corona, Chino, and Chino Hills communities – and countless travelers on the 71 and 91 – have seen the impressive 71/91 connector take shape. After the recent weekend closure of the eastbound 91 Green River Rd. on-ramp, where crews safely performed a traffic switch to get the new connector and on-ramp ready for vehicles, the new interchange is now open to motorists!

Crews opened the new eastbound 91 to northbound 71 connector to highway traffic on Saturday morning, June 21, and the realigned on-ramp on Monday, June 23.

Construction of the 71/91 Interchange Project began in January 2023. As part of the project, crews built a new eastbound 91 to northbound 71 connector bridge that spans over the 91 and Santa Ana River. This new, two-lane direct connector replaces the old single-lane loop connector. The existing eastbound 91 Green River Rd. on-ramp was also realigned to provide direct access to the new northbound 71 connector and eastbound 91 general purpose lanes. Crews also constructed a new eastbound 91 auxiliary lane for improved access and merging with the new connector.

During construction, crews excavated 400,000 cubic yards of roadway, used over 9 million pounds of rebar, constructed over 4,000 cubic yards of retaining walls, and are expected to pour over 36,000 cubic yards of concrete by the end of the project. The new connector measures an impressive 100 feet in height and 2,500 feet in length.

The new, non-tolled connector is designed to improve safety, expand access to other modes of travel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance traffic flow – providing long-lasting benefits to Riverside County residents and the greater southern California region. The project will also support continued movement through this area by native wildlife such as mountain lions, bobcats, and coyotes.

Funding for the $137 million project was provided by federal, state, and local sources, including Measure A; the twice voter-approved sales tax measure for transportation improvements in Riverside County. The delivery of this project further advances RCTC’s goal to improve mobility for the people of Riverside County.

For more information about this project, please visit: rctc.org/71-91interchange

With more than a year of construction under its belt, the 71/91 Interchange Project in Corona has undergone a remarkable transformation since breaking ground in January 2023. The project has been a testament to innovation, safety, and collaboration, with a dedicated team of project managers, engineers, and construction crews working tirelessly to bring the project closer to reality.  

During the past year, our hardworking construction crews have poured over 1,400 cubic yards of concrete, excavated over 300,000 cubic yards of dirt along the 91 and 71, set nearly 100 beams across the 91, and installed more than 14,000 linear feet of k-rail throughout the project. Along the edges of the 71, excavated hillsides and an array of equipment including cranes, drill rigs, manlifts, excavators, and bulldozers emphasize the project’s scale, complexity, and accelerated schedule. 

In just the last few months, construction crews installed a massive 160-foot-long rebar steel cage weighing 232,000 pounds in the median of the 91 and poured 700 cubic yards of concrete to build the foundation for one of the columns of the new connector. An intricate web of support structures was then placed to create the falsework structure that currently stands over the eastbound and westbound 91 lanes. Standing over 30-feet tall and consisting of more than 200 steel beams, this support structure allows crews to construct the new overhead connector roadway. A new section of falsework will be installed later this year and will connect to the existing portion above the 91.  

RCTC, in partnership with Caltrans, continues to make tremendous progress into 2024 to ensure this project’s safe delivery. Significant retaining wall installation progress allowed paving operations for new southbound 71 lanes to begin earlier this year. Once concrete paving and new lane striping is complete, preparation for traffic and lanes shift will begin later in the year. 

Once completed, the new non-tolled interchange will not only enhance transportation connectivity, but also improve roadway safety, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance traffic flow – providing long-lasting benefits to the region and beyond. The new connector is expected to open in 2025. 

For the latest project updates, flyover drone footage, and weekly closure information, follow @7191Interchange on social media or visit https://www.rctc.org/projects/71-91-interchange-project/. 

Heading out of the Inland Empire on weeknights? Motorists are advised to stay alert for full westbound 91 closures between State Route 71 and Green River Road in Corona. Following the successful weeknight closures of eastbound 91 during October and November, full closure of westbound 91 will take place Monday through Wednesday nights starting on December 11 through January 24, 2024.

Due to the holidays, no closures will be scheduled from December 22 through January 1, 2024. Nighttime closures will resume on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.

The westbound 91 closures are needed to allow crews to safely construct support structures extending across the entire width of the 91 as part of RCTC’s 71/91 Interchange Project. The support formwork on top of the tunnel for the new connector will be approximately 30 feet in height with over 200 beams being positioned during these weeknight closures.

The weeknight closures include:

• Full closure of westbound 91 lanes from the 71 to Green River Road
  • Monday – Wednesday from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
• Full southbound 71 to westbound 91 closure
  • Monday – Wednesday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• Full westbound 91 Express Lanes closures from the 15/91 Interchange to the Orange County/Riverside County Line
  • Monday – Wednesday 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
• Full southbound 15 to westbound 91 Express Lanes closures
  • Monday – Wednesday 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
• Full northbound 15 to westbound 91 Express Lanes closures
  • Monday – Wednesday 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
• Westbound 91 Green River Road off-ramp closure
  • Monday – Wednesday 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Motorists are advised to use the northbound 71 to westbound 60 to southbound 57 to navigate around the closure. Please use caution traveling through this area and plan extra time to arrive to your destination. The suggested detour route is shown below.

Access will remain available for fire, police, and ambulance units in case of emergency response. Construction activity is subject to change due to weather or unforeseen circumstances.

The 71/91 Interchange began construction in February and the anticipated opening of the connector is slated for 2025. This project will create a two-lane direct connector between eastbound 91 and northbound 71 to replace the existing single-lane loop connector. This enhancement is intended to improve safety, develop alternative modes of transportation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and optimize traffic flow. The $137 million investment is providing 1,677 jobs during construction.

To register for construction updates, text 7191INTERCHANGE to 77222 or sign up through the project webpage, rctc.org/7191closures.

Plan ahead if your schedule calls for driving from the Los Angeles and Orange counties to Riverside County on the 91 the weekend of June 9-12. Motorists traveling east on the 91 this weekend will face heavy traffic due to nighttime closures of the eastbound 91 and closures of both the eastbound and westbound 91 Express Lanes as part of the 71/91 Interchange Project in Corona. The eastbound Green River Rd. on-ramp will also be closed at night.

Closures for the upcoming weekend include:

• Nighttime Full Closures
  • Eastbound 91, Green River Rd. to Serfas Club Dr./Auto Center Dr.
    • Saturday, June 10 from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m.
    • Sunday, June 11 from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m.
    • Monday, June 12 from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
• Day and Nighttime Weekend Full Closures
  • Eastbound and Westbound 91 Express Lanes in Riverside County
    • Friday, June 9 at 9 p.m. to Monday, June 12 at 5 a.m.
• Nighttime Full Closures
  • Eastbound 91 Green River Rd. On-Ramp
    • Friday, June 9 at 9 p.m. to Saturday, June 10 at 7 a.m.
    • Saturday, June 10 at 9 p.m. to Sunday, June 11 at 7 a.m.
    • Sunday, June 11 at 9 p.m. to Monday, June 12 at 5 a.m.

The southbound 71 connectors to eastbound and westbound 91 will remain open. The eastbound and westbound 91 general purpose lanes will remain open during daytime hours.

The closures are needed to allow crews to safely lift a large support structure from the 91 median and place it into a 15-foot diameter, 160-foot deep, drilled hole. The cage is 14 feet in diameter, 160 feet long, and weighs 232,000 pounds. The hole will be filled with 700 cubic yards of concrete to build the foundation for one of the columns of the 71/91 connector.

Due to the large size of the cage and the amount of concrete to be transported (more than 70 truckloads), the lanes must be closed during this procedure for the safety of motorists. This series of weekend closures are being carefully planned with the community in mind. These weekend closures reduce the need for a full weekend closure of the eastbound 91 that would significantly impact drivers, residents, and businesses.

To reduce the time spent in potentially heavy traffic, drivers should avoid the area and use the 57 to eastbound 60 to the 71. A map of the suggested detour route is available below.

West Corona residents may use Green River Rd. to Palisades Drive to Serfas Club Dr./Auto Center Dr. to enter eastbound 91. Motorists should allow for extra travel time to reach local businesses, which will remain open. Fire, police, and ambulance services will have access for emergency response.

Construction activity is subject to change due to site conditions, weather or other factors. If the work cannot be completed the weekend of June 9-12, it will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

The 71/91 Interchange began construction in February, and the connector is expected to open in 2025. The project will replace the existing single-lane loop connector between eastbound 91 and northbound 71 with a two-lane direct connector. Once completed, the project is intended to improve safety, expand access to other modes of travel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance traffic flow. The $137 million investment is providing 1,677 jobs during construction.

To register for construction updates, text 7191interchange to 77222 or sign up through the project webpage, rctc.org/71-91interchange.

The 71/91 Interchange serves as a gateway between Riverside, Orange, and San Bernardino counties and is a vital link for commuters and freight vehicles that travel along the 91 and the 71.

Once completed, the new interchange will improve safety by reducing weaving among lanes, expand access to other modes of travel – such as Metrolink passenger rail, reduce greenhouse gas emissions with fewer idling vehicles, and enhance traffic flow by replacing the existing single-lane loop connector with the two-lane direct connector along one of the region’s heaviest traveled corridors. The project will support continued movement through this area by native wildlife such as mountain lions, bobcats, and coyotes.

Project funding is comprised of a combination of federal, state, and local funds, with $58.1 million of the $137 million construction costs provided by California’s Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, more commonly known as Senate Bill 1. A portion of the costs is funded by Measure A, the voter approved, half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements in Riverside County. The project is expected to create approximately 1,700 construction-related jobs, including contracts awarded to Riverside-based Skanska USA Civil West and Corona-based Falcon Engineering.

Motorists should watch for nighttime and weekend closures of lanes, ramps, and connectors. To register for construction updates, visit rctc.org/71-91interchange or text 7191INTERCHANGE to 77222.

The Point: RCTC is pursuing $92.7 million of SB 1 dollars to improve safety and efficiency where the 71 and 91 highways meet.

Continuing its effort to connect Riverside County and keep promises to voters, the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) has unanimously voted to nominate the 71/91 Interchange Improvement Project for state funding.

Improving the 71/91 interchange, which sits along one of the most congested highway corridors in Southern California,

is a key component of the voter-approved Measure A expenditure plan administered by RCTC. The Project has been fully designed, has received environmental clearance, and can go to construction by Fiscal Year 2019/20, meeting a key deadline for $1 billion in state funding being allocated by the California Transportation Commission (CTC).

Demonstrating strong state-local partnership on improving traffic flow in Riverside County, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) joins RCTC as a co-applicant for $92.7 million from the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program created by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, also known as SB 1.  The State Legislature named the SR-91 and Metrolink corridor in Riverside County as an example of highly traveled corridors intended to be funded by the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program.

The 71/91 Interchange Improvement Project replaces the existing connector between these two heavily-traveled highways with a safer, more efficient direct connector and eliminates the current loop connector that connects the eastbound 91 and the 71 Freeway.  The Project will also construct a collector-distributor system between Green River Road to east of the 71/91 interchange, which will improve traffic flow for vehicles transitioning between the two highways.  The eastbound on-ramp to SR-91 at Green River Road will also be slightly realigned to accommodate the new freeway connector’s alignment.

The 71/91 Interchange Improvement Project is part of RCTC’s 2009-2019 Western County Measure A Highway Delivery Plan, a suite of priority improvements slated for the first ten years of Measure A. When the Great Recession hit the region, Measure A revenues declined significantly, decreasing RCTC’s ability to fund and build projects such as the 71/91 as aggressively as originally planned.  With the passage of SB 1, new funding is available to complete this deferred project.

As part of its action to seek SB 1 state funding, RCTC will commit $24.3 million in federal block grant dollars to match potential state funds and fully fund the Project.

Utility relocation work and property acquistion is underway on the Project, in preparation for eventual construction.

The CTC is expected to select which projects it funds from this competition on May 16, 2018.