While most drivers are asleep, crews have been busy late at night continuing to build the new interchange between the 71 and 91 freeways near Corona.
Nighttime closures of the eastbound 91 Freeway in Corona have been occurring three days a week since mid-October, and will last through Tuesday, Nov. 21.
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the eastbound 91 lanes from Green River Road to Serfas Club Drive/Auto Center Drive are closed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., according to the Riverside County Transportation Commission. The eastbound Green River Road on-ramp, and the eastbound 91 express lanes from the Orange County-Riverside County line to the 15/91 interchange, are closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. those nights.
The eastbound Green River Road on-ramp is also closed Thursday, Nov. 2, from 10 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday, Nov. 3, from 11:59 p.m. to 7 a.m.
More lane closures, including the eastbound and westbound 91 express lanes, on-ramp and connector will occur Thursday through Sunday nights, but other 91 lanes will stay open.
While the freeway is empty of traffic, crews are assembling the new eastbound 91-to-northbound 71 connector, which involves constructing support structures and moving more than 200 giant steel beams into place 30 feet above the 91 Freeway, forming a “tunnel-like structure” that will support the new bridge while it’s being built, a commission news release states. Each beam is 120 feet long and weighs over 20 tons, according to a commission video.
The 71/91 interchange, located near the corners of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, is a “vital link” for commuters and freight vehicles, according to the commission.
The interchange often sees sluggish traffic and backups, due in part to the tight, one-lane loop connector from the eastbound 91 to the northbound 71. Also, as the Chino Hills area has grown, so has congestion.
The 71/91 Interchange Project, a partnership between the commission and Caltrans that seeks to improve traffic flow, has been in the works at least 12 years, according to the commission. Construction, which began earlier this year, is estimated at $137 million. The project is on track to be completed in 2025.
Specifically, the project will:
- Replace the one-lane loop connector between eastbound 91 and northbound 71 with a two-lane connector ramp
- Build an eastbound 91 auxiliary lane to improve access to the new connector to the northbound 71
- Realign the eastbound 91 onramp from Green River Road to improve interchange access
- Realign the southbound 71 to create space for the new connector
The remodeled interchange is expected to improve safety and traffic flow, reduce greenhouse emissions and improve the ability of wildlife like mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes to move through the area, the project overview states.
The project area is near Chino Hills State Park, the Prado Basin and the Santa Ana River, which supports a large habitat for animals, commission officials said Thursday, Nov. 2, and there will be several culverts and underpasses to let wildlife cross the 91. The project will include wildlife fencing to guide animals and native vegetation, they said.
Commission officials said the project’s main elements are well underway.
In addition to progress on the new connector and its support structures, crews have excavated the hill beside southbound 71 to realign the freeway, and are working on the new auxiliary lane and realigned Green River Road on-ramp. Drivers on the westbound 91 can see the under-construction ramp that will lead to the eastbound 91 and the new interchange.
Construction began after the project’s groundbreaking in January.
Nighttime and weekend closures in June allowed crews to work on the connector’s foundation, which involved drilling a 15-foot-wide, 160-foot-deep hole in the median, and putting a 232,000-pound rebar support structure and over 70 truckloads of concrete in place.
After this month’s work on the connector bridge, crews will shift their focus to the westbound 91 to build more support structures north of the freeway, commission officials said. When the support structures are in place on both sides of the freeway, the new connector will begin coming together above the 91.
To finish the other side of the structure, full Monday-Wednesday night closures of the westbound 91 will be needed and are expected late this year, the commission says.
Visit RCTC’s website for a project map and construction and closure updates. RCTC also posts construction updates to its YouTube channel.
