Overview of toll lanes extension project in Corona. (Image courtesy of Riverside County Transportation Commission)
Corona – By Glenn Freeman – For some commuters, the “Corona Crawl” may soon crawl a bit faster.
Riverside County transportation officials held ground breaking ceremonies on Dec. 11 for a $1.3 billion project to replace carpool lanes with express toll lanes on Highway 91 through Corona.
The freeway project will extend two existing toll lanes from the Orange County line to the I-15 interchange, including a new flyover ramp, allowing I-15 commuters a direct connection near Magnolia Avenue in Corona. A free, general-use lane in each direction on the 91 through Corona is also part of the overall project, with the eastbound lane stretching to Pierce Street in Riverside.
Several overpasses and ramps will be widened and rebuilt, including a new westbound entrance at Maple/Sixth streets and reconfigured eastbound entrances to the 91 at Serfas Club Drive and Main Street. The changes will help reduce congestion by separating merging traffic entering and exiting the 91.
According to Riverside County Transportation Commission, access will be at either end of the new toll lanes, which will use the existing “FastTrak” system already in place in Orange County, allowing for seamless transition between the two counties. RCTC says separate tolls will be charged for each county’s segment, offering drivers a choice of using the Riverside County toll lanes, the Orange County toll lanes, or both.
Although the new toll lanes will replace existing carpool lanes, Riverside County transportation officials say that the same “three ride free” policies currently in place in Orange County will also be applied to the lanes in Riverside County.
The toll lanes will be Riverside County’s first such lanes. They come approximately 20 years after Orange County first implemented “congestion pricing” tolls to expand Highway 91 west of Corona into Anaheim. The lanes initially drew criticism from Riverside County drivers and officials, who claimed they unfairly penalized Inland commuters, the primary users (and payees) of the lanes. An agreement between the two counties later began a partnership that included recent general use lane expansion in the Santa Ana Canyon performed by Orange County.
The project is being funded through a combination of sales tax bonds and Riverside County’s Measure A transportation sales tax. Work is set to start in January 2014 and actual construction likely to begin in spring 2014, with completion expected by 2017.
Detailed information on the project can be found at: www.sr91project.info.
