Westbound 91 Freeway to fully close next week in Corona

The westbound Riverside (91) Freeway is slated for a complete shutdown next week in Corona to facilitate overnight construction work, with ongoing closures planned for the rest of the month and the first half of January, officials said Tuesday.

The initial nighttime closure is scheduled for 10 p.m. Monday, with all westbound 91 lanes — including Express toll lanes — out of service from Interstate 15 to just beyond the Corona (71) Expressway, on the west end of Corona. The lane closures will be in effect until 4 a.m. Tuesday. The same closures will be implemented again on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, according to RCTC.

The closures are analogous to shutdowns that occurred in October and November on the eastbound 91 for the “71/91 Interchange Project.”

RCTC said the Monday-to-Wednesday schedule will be maintained, weather- permitting, to Jan. 17, though scheduling changes are expected to be implemented during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period.

In addition to the 91 closure, the transition bridges from south- and northbound I-15 to the westbound 91 will be closed during the work. That includes Express Lanes connectors.

The southbound 71 to the westbound 91 transition will have to be closed, as well, according to RCTC.

“The full closures will allow crews to safely continue construction of support structures for the new eastbound 91 to northbound 71 connector,” the agency stated. “Weeknight traffic congestion is anticipated in Corona, and motorists are strongly advised to allow for extra travel time and to bypass the area by using Route 71 to the westbound Pomona (60) Freeway to the southbound Orange (57) Freeway to navigate around the closure.”

Those attempting to enter Corona via the westbound 91 from Riverside will be detoured through downtown Corona.

The $137 million 71/91 Interchange Project, which got underway in February, 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 volume of vehicles at one time.

Along with expanding the connector itself, the interchange project further involves adding an eastbound auxiliary lane to the 91 and realigning the Green River on-ramp. The expressway, too, will be realigned to create space for the new connector.

Officials said a wildlife crossing will be one of the other features of the reconfigured interchange.

The project is expected to conclude sometime in 2025.

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.