The southbound side of the 71 Freeway is slated for closure throughout the entire weekend while crews make further modifications on their way to completing an interchange improvement project in Corona, it was announced Friday.
The shutdown is slated to begin at 10 p.m. Friday and continue to 5 a.m. Monday and will result in all three southbound Route 71 lanes being taken out of service from Butterfield Ranch Road in Chino Hills down to the Riverside (91) Freeway in Corona, according to the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
The agency will hold a media briefing Wednesday to outline the closure plan.
"The full closures will allow crews to safely conduct a traffic switch on the southbound 71 lanes,'' according to an RCTC statement.
The agency advised motorists who use the 71 to consider alternate routes this weekend, including the Pomona (60) Freeway, the Orange (57) Freeway and Interstate 15 to reach destinations normally accessible via the expressway.
The weekend-long shutdown is part of the "71/91 Interchange Project,'' which has been underway since February 2023.
Nightly lane closures on the 91 freeway have been occurring regularly because of construction work.
The $137 million project entails replacing the current single-lane connector from the eastbound 91 to the 71 with a two-lane connector loop, which will accommodate a larger number of vehicles.
Along with expanding the connector itself, the project further involves adding an eastbound auxiliary lane to the 91 and realigning the Green River Road on-ramp. The expressway, too, is being realigned to create space for the new connector.
The project is expected to conclude sometime next year.
More than one-third of the project funding -- $58.1 million -- is being provided by the California Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017, which hiked gasoline taxes to pay for infrastructure and other projects. The county's Measure A revenue, which is generated by a half-cent sales tax, is also covering a share of the expense, while federal and other sources make up the difference.
Updates on the project are available at rctc.org/7191closures and www.rctc.org/71-91interchange .
Copyright 2024, City News Service, Inc.
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