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Plan ahead, avoid the area, or stay home. The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) is offering these words of wisdom to motorists in preparation for a weekend full closure of both the eastbound and westbound 91 between the 71 and Interstate 15 in Corona next month.
As part of the 91 Project in Corona, RCTC today launched its “91 Steer Clear” public service campaign to remind motorists that the roadway will be fully closed from Friday, February 19 at 9 p.m. to Monday, February 22 at 4 a.m.
This 55-hour closure is needed to allow crews to perform three major construction activities:
1. Demolish the west side of the Maple Street Bridge over the 91
2. Install support beams for the new westbound Maple Street flyover ramp bridge
3. Pave the new eastbound 91 alignment near I-15
“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,” said RCTC Executive Director Anne Mayer. “Consolidating the work activities within one weekend will reduce the number of closure hours by more than 50 percent. The project’s design-build method allows for flexibility in planning work, such as this weekend closure,” she said.
Another benefit, Mayer noted, is that the full closure will help ensure the safety of the 91 Project crews and the traveling public by eliminating cars and construction equipment on the road at the same time.
To minimize travel delays and impacts during the closure, RCTC strongly recommends that motorists plan ahead and completely avoid travel on and near the 91 in Corona or stay home. If travel cannot be avoided, motorists can use the 57, 60 and I-10 as alternate routes. Motorists traveling on the 91, 71 or I-15 near the project area during the closure period can expect delays of three to four hours.
During the weekend closure, emergency vehicles will be able to travel on the 91, as needed, to respond to police, fire and medical situations.
“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.
A public meeting, focused on local impacts, will be held Saturday, February 6 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.at the Corona Public Library, 650 S. Main Street [MAP]. Presentations will be held at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.; the presentation will be the same each time. A webcast option will be available that day at 10:30 am for those who are unable to attend the meeting in person. Click here to participate online. In addition, a link to a video recording of the meeting presentation will be provided after the meeting.
In case of rainstorms or inclement weather, the February 19 through 22 closure will be postponed to the next weekend, weather permitting.
Once the weekend construction activities are completed, more work is on the way for the Maple Street area during the coming months. Crews will rebuild the Maple Street bridge and construct the flyover ramp bridge across the 91. Nightly full closures of eastbound 91 likely will be required for about a week following the full weekend closure; additional periodic nighttime closures will occur in the future. Once the flyover ramp bridge at Maple Street is completed this summer, another full closure of the 91 may take place to remove the temporary support beams that will be placed the weekend of February 19 through 22.
The 91 Project is adding regular lanes, tolled express lanes, auxiliary lanes and direct express connectors from the northbound 15 to the westbound 91 and from the eastbound 91 to the southbound 15. Improvements to interchanges, ramps, lanes and surface streets also will be made along the 91 between the Riverside County/Orange County Line in Corona and Pierce Street in Riverside. The new lanes are expected to open in 2017.
For more information, visit online, call the helpline at 877-770-9191 or email.
