Finally! 91 Express Lanes Opening Monday: Here's All You Need To Know

CORONA, CA — After years of construction and countless traffic jams, the long-awaited extension of the 91 Freeway express lanes is set to open Monday.

The roughly three-year-long, $1.4 billion widening project on the 91 will add two new express lanes on the west- and eastbound sides of the freeway, as well as one additional general purpose lane on both sides.

Opening Schedule

In the predawn hours Monday, the 91 will become fully operational, with all lanes available between the Corona (71) Expressway and Interstate 15.

Those traveling westbound can expect the lanes opened by 4 a.m., according to the Riverside County Transportation Commission. The eastbound side is scheduled to be open by 5 a.m.

Until then, officials urged motorists to avoid the 91 in the Corona area Sunday to avoid construction-related delays as crews put the finishing touches on the new lanes.

How to Enter

Eastbound Travel

• Enter at the 55/91 Interchange or the County Line
• Exit at the County Line, at the 91 at McKinley Street or I-15 South at Ontario Avenue

Westbound Travel

• Enter at I-15 North at Ontario Avenue, the 91 at McKinley Street or the County Line
• Exit at the County Line or the 55/91 Interchange

How to Pay

The four new express lanes, which require a FasTrak account to use and will provide motorists a faster drive during peak commute times from I-15 to the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway, will certainly come at a cost. However, the exact prices for using the lanes isn't yet known as officials need to monitor usage to determine the rates.

"RCTC will monitor and adjust toll rates during the early weeks of operation to achieve 'free-flow' travel for lane users," transportation officials said. "Toll lane pricing will be posted at each entry point to the 91 Express Lanes."

As stated above, an active FasTrak transponder is needed to pay for using the lanes. There are currently two promotions, according to the RCTC:

• New account holders will receive a week of free tolls or two weeks of free tolls with a valid AAA membership.
• Existing account holders will receive a $25 account credit for referring a friend who opens a new account.

For more on signing up, visit 91expresslanes.com, call the Customer Service Center at 800-600-9191 or visit the Customer Service Center at 2275 Sampson Ave., Suite 100, in Corona.

Making it Official

About 219,000 vehicles pass through this stretch of the 91 daily, according to Caltrans.

County Transportation Commission spokesman John Standiford said a formal ceremony marking the end of major construction will be held on March 31, but officials wanted to make the new lanes available to commuters as soon as possible.

There will be a few final modifications applied later, requiring crews to continue working in several locations until the fall, but the lion's share of construction will be finished this week, according to the RCTC.

The project, which got underway in the spring of 2014, was funded through a combination of local Proposition 1A sales taxes, federal and state grants, as well as local revenue bonds. In addition to the traffic lanes, the project also built or widened 32 bridges, improved five interchanges and realigned and repaved local streets, the RTCT said.

— Image by Renee Schiavone / City News Service contributed to this report