Half Of 91 Freeway To Close Riverside For Rail Project

RIVERSIDE, CA — Half of the Riverside (91) Freeway will be closed Saturday evening into Sunday morning in downtown Riverside to facilitate a railroad realignment project, and motorists are advised to be prepared for long travel delays.

The westbound 91 will be shut down between 14th Street and Central Avenue beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday and continuing until 8 a.m. Sunday, to allow crews to begin the next phase of the Route 91 Pachappa Underpass Project, according to the Riverside County Transportation Commission.

Motorists should allow extra travel time or take alternate routes during the nighttime closure, according to the RCTC.

A detour will take drivers off of the westbound 91 via 14th, returning them to the freeway via Magnolia Avenue. However, officials pointed out that surface streets may become backed up, meaning extended waits to return to the 91. The Pomona (60) Freeway via Jurupa Valley and Ontario can be used as an alternate, as well as Cajalco Road between Interstate 215 and La Sierra Avenue in Riverside.

The $8.8 million Pachappa Underpass Project, which is slated for completion this fall, was initiated in April 2020 and entails removal of portions of a railroad bridge and replacement of retaining walls where the rail line was realigned.

—City News Service