and 6 p.m, Monday through Friday, carpool users on eastbound 91 will be charged half-price. The new lanes will replace the existing carpool lane in each direction, but vehicles with three or more people can use them for free most hours but they will now need a transponder. The same connector also funnels eastbound 91 drivers to the southbound 15. The toll lanes will also be accessible from the northbound 15 near Ontario Avenue in Corona, which takes vehicles on the flyover to the westbound 91. Eastbound travelers must enter the toll lanes at the county line and can’t exit until they get to the 15 in Corona. Those going westbound on the 91, must enter near the 15 and won’t be able to get off until a point near the Orange County line, where there will be 1.25-mile transition area to enter or exit the toll lanes. When traveling the route, drivers should plan ahead because the toll lanes only have limited entry and exit points. Those driving the regular lanes will save an average of 12 minutes a day, agency studies found. That will, in turn, relieve traffic on the regular lanes, Standiford said. Those traveling that span will save 78 minutes a day in round trip travel time, transportation commission studies show. The 8-mile toll lanes connect with the 10-mile Orange County Transportation Authority toll lanes - allowing travelers to from the 15 to the 55. And two ramps - Serfas Club Drive and Maple Street - that had been closed for a long time will be open before the weekend begins. The connector - one of the largest elements of the project - will also open Monday. During a Wednesday morning visit to the site, crews were sanding the surface of the 70-foot-tall lane connector from the 15 to the 91. Major construction work that included widening 32 bridges, improving five interchanges and realigning ramps and local reads is complete, Standiford said.īut crews must still stripe lanes, finish paving a few spots and complete railing on the side of the freeway. Instead, drivers should take the 57 Freeway, the 60 Freeway or Metrolink, officials said. The agency suggests motorists avoid the area and warns of delays of at least one hour. Some lanes and ramps will also be closed on the westbound side, but not to the same extent, he said. Up to four lanes will be closed that day - mainly in the morning - with fewer closures reduced by afternoon and evening, said John Standiford, deputy executive director for the transportation commission. The heaviest work is set for Sunday, with multiple lane closures planned on the eastbound side starting at midnight and continuing until Monday at 4 a.m. Intermittent lane and ramp closures started Thursday and will continue until the lanes open Monday morning. But the westbound carpool lane also has been closed this week. Motorists got some good news with the opening this week of the new general lanes on each side. Riverside County transportation officials say the $1.4 billion project - which added two toll lanes and one general lane in each direction - should improve the traffic flow on one of Southern California’s busiest and most congested corridors as well as relieve backups on roads in Corona. Discounts will be available for some drivers, such as motorcyclists and those with zero-emission electric vehicles. To qualify for free carpool use, there must have three people instead of two in a vehicle. They’ll need to know where they can enter and exit the lanes and will need a FasTrak transponder. Westbound lanes will be ready Monday at 4 a.m., with the eastbound lanes following at 5 a.m.īut drivers who roll into the new 8-mile toll lane extension that morning will need to be prepared. After three years of construction work, closed ramps and lanes as well as a full freeway weekend shutdown dubbed “Coronageddon,” the opening of the new 91 Express Lanes project in Corona is now a few days away.
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