Placentia Ave. Bridge Over I-215 Closes For 10-Month Project

PERRIS, CA — A 10-month closure of the Placentia Avenue bridge over Interstate 215 in Perris began Tuesday as crews will reconstruct the interchange between the Ramona Expressway and Nuevo Road with new ramps and a wider bridge.

The existing bridge will be demolished as part of the Riverside County Transportation Commission’s I-215 Placentia Avenue Interchange Project, officials said.

"The 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 transportation agency said. "Closing the bridge also will reduce overall construction time from 2.5 years to two years."

Project construction launched in August and remains on track to open the new interchange in summer 2022, officials added.

“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 are in place 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 advised to allow extra travel time and follow posted speed limits, especially when traveling on Indian near Val Verde Elementary School between Placentia Avenue and Orange Avenue, as in-person learning at the school resumes in August, the agency said.

At some point during the bridge closure, lanes on I-215 will be closed overnight during the bridge demolition and new support structures are added to widen the bridge. Future notification will be provided for these overnight closures.

Along with adding I-215 ramps and widening the bridge, the construction project, credited for creating 425 jobs, will improve traffic flow by realigning East Frontage Road and adding lanes to Placentia between Harvill and Indian avenues, enhancing safety with new storm water detention basins for street drainage and boosting air quality, due to fewer idling vehicles and less gas consumption, officials said.

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 timing is uncertain, the agency noted.

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

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