A two-year project to revamp the interchange connecting the Corona (71) Expressway with the Riverside (91) Freeway in Corona is almost done, officials said Monday.
The “71/91 Interchange Project,” underway since the winter of 2023, is in its final stage, slated to wrap up by midsummer, according to the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
The next major phase will be a weekend-long closure of the Green River Road on-ramp for further realignment work. The activity will require a one- night closure of the westbound 91 connector to the northbound 71, as well as full closure of the Green River entrance ramp to the eastbound 91. The westbound 91 connector will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, while the Green River ramp will be shut down from 9 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday.
The newly constructed eastbound 91 to northbound 71 bridge will open at 6 a.m. Saturday, according to RCTC. Motorists were asked to plan ahead accordingly.
The $137 million 71/91 Interchange 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.
More than one-third of project funding — $58.1 million — has been 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 receipts, which is generated by a half-cent sales tax, are also covering a share of the expense, while federal and other sources make up the difference.
Updates on the project are available at https://www.rctc.org/projects/71-91-interchange-project/.
