Jan Young
InstantRiverside.com

Construction is scheduled to start soon on the 14th Street bridge over the 91 freeway in downtown Riverside, and city officials are encouraging the public to plan ahead for major traffic modifications during the construction.

The bridge modifications are part of the Caltrans improvements along the 91 freeway, which includes widening the freeway with one carpool lane in each direction from Adams Street to the 60/91/215 interchange.  The project will help alleviate congestion and improve mobility into downtown and other areas.

The widening project will reconstruct the bridge and widen the on/off-ramps in both directions at 14th Street.  Other improvements include moving the 9th Street westbound on-ramp to 10th Street, widening the on/off-ramps at Central, Arlington and Madison, and replacing the bridges at Cridge and Ivy Streets.

The end result will be added capacity with state-of-the-art design, making for easier access to and from the community, better serving businesses, employers and residents.

To help drivers prepare, message signs will be posted several days prior to major changes.

The Riverside Traffic Division is offering the following tips to help ease the transition:

•         - Plan an alternate route into downtown to get around the construction.
•         - Hold meetings with your employees and vendors to notify of the coming changes.
•         - Carpool with coworkers to reduce vehicles in the downtown area.
•         - If possible, modify work schedules — as little as a 15 - 60 minute change can reduce peak traffic times.
•         - Start taking your new route now - don’t wait until the first day the lanes are closed.

For updated information, visit the Caltrans project website www.dot.ca.gov/dist8/projects/riverside/sr91hov/index.htm

The project expects to create an estimated 1,500 jobs during its construction.

Caltrans estimates the cost of the project to be $232 million.  It is funded by Measure A, Riverside County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation; federal funds; and $157 million in Corridor Mobility Improvement Account (CMIA) funds, the state Proposition lB funding.

Filed under News A1, Headline

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

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