![]() OCTA and RCTC will manage how much drivers will pay to use the bridges – the rates could be calculated in real-time depending on the traffic and there could be a carpool discount, OCTA spokesman Joel Zlotnik said. RCTC and OCTA will also get ample time to submit any concerns as Caltrans finalizes its environmental analysis of the bridges and Caltrans and the TCA get the project designed.Ĭaltrans will build and TCA will fund the bridges, estimated to cost $180 million, with possible help from sources such as California’s gas tax. “We are now on that track, so we are happy with what the schedule looks like.” 1 goal was to have the project get done,” Cole said. Around the same time, RCTC would have a flyover ramp replace the eastbound 91 Freeway hairpin-turn offramp to the northbound 71 Freeway. With those two projects expected to be done by 2022, the TCA would likely start building the bridges in 2023 and have them open by 2025, two years later than the TCA initially planned. Under the framework, TCA would wait to build the project until RCTC and OCTA are done with two projects: ramps connecting the 91 Express Lanes to the I-15 and a new westbound lane on the 91 from Green River Road to the 241 Toll Road. ![]() The agencies’ staffers agreed upon the framework of a plan in September, and now their boards are reviewing the terms in meetings over the next two months.Ĭaltrans, which owns the state highway system and would build the connector bridge with money from the TCA, is expected to soon finalize its environmental analysis for the project, after which design can begin. The third-party facilitator also helped the agencies “take a step back and see the big picture,” TCA spokeswoman Kit Cole said. ![]() With the clock ticking and warnings being passed around, officials in May agreed to hire the third-party facilitator who helped organize discussions on the sticking points, including who would pay for the project how much would a driver spend on the tolls and how soon would the bridge be built. Officials with the Transportation Corridor Agencies, which manages Orange County’s toll roads including the 241, have wanted to bridge the gap between the 241 and the express lanes heading east – pressing for an opening as early as 2023 – but Orange County Transportation Authority and Riverside County Transportation Commission authorities have been adamant their plans for fixing choke points on the 91 Freeway needed to be prioritized, and dumping drivers from the 241 onto the express lanes first would only further gum up the traffic. Traffic jams for merging onto the eastbound 91 from the 241 easily back up to the Windy Ridge toll plaza, delaying drivers by upwards of an extra half hour. With more people living in the Inland Empire, yet still working in Orange County, traffic on the 91 Freeway has swelled on average, 325,000 cars a day pass the county line on the 91 Freeway. Officials claimed that the overlap of construction couldn't be helped, as they're trying to fit in as many projects as possible before the winter season, which could bring rain and construction delays.With the help of a facilitator brought in by Caltrans officials, transportation agencies in Orange and Riverside counties have agreed on the order of 91 Freeway construction projects leading up to a bridge feeding the 241 Toll Road directly into the 91 Express Lanes. In addition, there will be a full closure of the westbound 60 Freeway in Chino and several lanes of the westbound side of the 10 Freeway will be closed. While the information proved annoying to Trask and his wife, she echoed a sentiment that should be familiar to the hearts of Californians everywhere: "Oh well. While he isn't sure exactly when the next construction projects are planned, he said, "The public should be aware that more closures are on the way on the 15 and the 91 in future weekends. There are a lot of people moving on the weekends, sometimes just as many as during the weekdays." "The 91 Refresh Project is allowing us to repave the lanes on the 91, they're uneven right now and we want a smoother commute," said Aaron Hake, the Deputy Executive Director of RCTC.
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