CALIFORNIA STATE EDITION
A Supplement to:
February 23 2025 Vol. VI • No. 4
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your California Connection – Sharon Swanson – 1-760-518-4336 – sswanson@cegltd.com
RCTC, Caltrans Expect 71/91 Interchange Finish in 2025 By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT
The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) are reconstructing the State Route 71/State Route 91 Interchange in Corona, a vital corridor serving both commuter and commercial traffic. At a cost of $137 million, the work is being performed by Skanska, with Falcon Engineering Services handling project construction management. Construction began in early 2023 and is anticipated to be completed before the year’s end. “The 71/91 Interchange serves as a gateway between Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties,” said John Tarascio, RCTC’s project manager and the senior capital projects manager. The new non-tolled interchange is designed to improve safety, expand access to other modes of travel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance traffic flow. The project will replace the existing single-lane loop connector between eastbound SR 91 and northbound SR 71 with a two-lane, direct connector ramp; build an eastbound SR 91 auxiliary lane to improve access to the new direct connector to northbound SR 71; and realign the eastbound SR 91 onramp from Green River Road to improve access to the 71/91 Interchange and southbound SR 71 to create space for the direct connector. Caltrans approved the project’s environmental documentation in June 2011, and RCTC completed the project’s final design in June 2015. The RCTC received the final piece of funding in December 2020. That funding includes contributions from the state’s Solutions For Congested Corridors Program, the federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development program and the federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program. The project, which was designed by Parsons Corp., has provided challenges throughout the process. “The United States Army Corps of Engineers was a critical partner during the design phase, as there were unique
A roadway takes its basic shape.
right-of-way [issues] near the Santa Ana River channel,” Tarascio said. “Another major challenge was spanning the SR 91 freeway, which has six general purpose lanes and two toll lanes in each direction. The falsework beams had to be spliced on site and spanned over 100 feet.” The project structures’ lifespan is 50 years, and the pavement was designed for a 20-year lifespan. With the tall column heights and large bent caps, mass concrete was used, which required cooling tubes to be installed around the column during the curing process. The construction plan works in stages to minimize motorist disruption through the heavily traveled corridor. Before work started, the corridor handled more than 100,000 vehicles per day. The new configuration will have a similar capacity with the improved operational layout of the SR 91 to SR 71 connectors. The existing eastbound to northbound tight singlesee INTERCHANGE page 5
An overview of the interchange.