Carmageddon 2016: Everything You Need to Know About Full 91 Freeway Shutdown

CORONA, CA- Transportation officials Tuesday released an online webcast of a public meeting about the upcoming two-day shutdown of one of the Inland Empire’s busiest travel corridors — the Riverside (91) Freeway.

The Riverside County Transportation Commission held the Feb. 6 meeting at the Corona Public Library to give an overview of the closure’s expected impacts, including what measures will be put in place to lessen inconveniences to local residents.

Members of the public can view the presentation above.

During the weekend of Feb. 19-21, the 91 will be closed in both directions between Interstate 15 and the Corona (71) Expressway.

Dubbed “Corona Carmageddon,” the full freeway shutdown will enable crews to tackle three major components of the “91 Project Fast Forward” without traffic conflicts.

“By fully closing the roadway, we will be able to consolidate these significant construction efforts into one weekend, rather than multiple weekends or extending this over a month of weeknights,” RCTC Executive Director Anne Mayer said two weeks ago.

“Consolidating the work activities within one weekend will reduce the number of closure hours by more than 50 percent,” she said. “The project’s design-build method allows for flexibility in planning work, such as this weekend closure.”

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At the meeting, project manager David Thomas said the weekend construction schedule provides safety benefits for the general public, as well as work crews.

“Every time you shut down traffic and open it back up, there’s an impact and a risk to the safety of the traveling public. So by doing this one time, we can really help minimize potential accidents surrounding this event,” Thomas said.

Other benefits include the avoidance of heavy rain, as the scheduled weekend’s weather is expected to be favorable. Should the weather change, construction will be postponed until the following weekend, Thomas said.

Mayer said the westbound side of the Maple Street bridge at the 91 will be demolished, and crews will install support beams at the flyover ramp connected to the bridge, as well as pave a portion of the eastbound 91 under Interstate 15.

Motorists are being urged to take alternate routes during the 55-hour closure, which will begin at 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, and wrap up at 4 a.m. Monday, Feb. 22. (See detour map below, or click here)

Other east-west corridors traversing the Inland Empire include Interstate 10 and the Pomona (60) Freeway. Interstate 15 will remain open, as will the 71 expressway. However, utilizing either freeway to connect to the 91 will not be possible.

According to Mayer, drivers who attempt to take the 91 westbound from Riverside or eastbound from Orange County into Corona will likely find themselves stacked up in traffic, delayed three to four hours until they’re detoured onto surface streets.

Thomas recommended that those heading to the Inland Empire from the west use the 57 Freeway or other freeways west of the construction area to access either the 60 or 10 Freeway. Those coming from the east are advised to take the 60 or 10 Freeway and avoid the 91 Freeway completely.

Freeway ramps on the 91 that should remain open in Corona over the weekend include three westbound ramps at Green River Road, Serfas Club Drive and the 71 northbound connector to the eastbound 91 Freeway, as well as two eastbound ramps at Paseo Grande and Lincoln Avenue.

However, these are subject to change once construction begins.

Corona residents also will be able to take advantage of a special Metrolink offer during the weekend, which includes discounted fares on the 91 and IEOC lines.

Thomas said the RCTC has been coordinating with Caltrans and other agencies to ensure that no construction will take place on any of the detour routes, as well as no local work in the city of Corona.

Emergency responders will have one lane open to them through the project area.

“Corona residents can rest assured that police, fire, CHP and ambulance personnel will be fully briefed about the weekend closure and are ready to respond,” Mayer said.

More information is available at http://sr91project.info/ or by calling (877) 770-9191.

The $1.3 billion “91 Project Fast Forward,” which got underway in early 2014, involves widening the east-west corridor between the Orange County line and I-15, with new traffic lanes and ramps, as well as additional shoulder space and expanded surface streets in the vicinity of the freeway.

— City News Service contributed to this report.