$78M Allocated To Help Ease Riverside County Traffic Congestion

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Roughly $78 million is earmarked for an interchange expansion project and other infrastructure improvements in Riverside County, it was announced Thursday.

The Riverside County Transportation Commission said the California Department of Transportation has allocated funds for three projects as part of the agency's latest disbursal of SB 1 Road Repair & Accountability Act awards.

The largest award — $58.1 million — is for the 71/91 Interchange Project, which will entail replacing the existing single-loop connector between the eastbound Riverside (91) Freeway and the Corona (71) Expressway with a two- lane bridge, as well as constructing an additional lane from Green River Road to the interchange to enhance traffic flow.

"Funding for the 71/91 Interchange is long overdue, so this is welcome news for our Riverside County residents," RCTC Chairman Ben Benoit said. "We look forward to completion of this work, which will help relieve traffic congestion, especially on eastbound 91 during the afternoon commute hours."

The design plans are complete, and construction is slated to begin in early 2022, officials said.

Another $10.3 million was awarded for the McKinley Avenue Railroad Grade Separation Project in Corona.

That will entail constructing a four-lane overpass to prevent further conflicts between rail and vehicular traffic at the location. Construction could begin as early as next year.

Finally, $9.4 million was awarded for the Limonite Avenue Gap Closure Project in Eastvale, which involves connecting Archibald and Hellman avenues via Limonite, requiring about a half-mile of road extension, complete with pedestrian and bicycle paths. There was no target date for groundbreaking.