Southbound I-15 Lane Closures Begin Between Corona, Temescal Valley

TEMESCAL VALLEY, CA — Lanes on the southbound side of Interstate 15 between Corona and Temescal Valley will be shut down Thursday evening and Friday night to facilitate preparatory work on a roughly mile-long expansion project, and officials asked motorists to plan ahead to avoid travel delays.

The "I-15 Interim Corridor Operations Project" entails adding a single lane on the southbound side of the freeway between Cajalco and Weirick roads.

The placement of K-rails and other safety barriers within the construction zone will require crews to work within lanes from 9 p.m. Thursday to 4 a.m. Friday, and during the same hours Friday to Saturday, according to the Riverside County Transportation Commission.

The agency said that at least one lane will be taken out of service, though it could be two, during the work. Three southbound lanes are available in the corridor. Most of the construction activity will be between El Cerrito and Weirick roads.

Drivers were asked to plan ahead and consider alternate routes to avoid delays on both nights.

The $5 million project was conceived last year as an add-on to the I- 15 Express Lanes Project, which was completed in April 2021, resulting in toll lanes being constructed on I-15 between Corona and Norco to relieve congestion.

According to RCTC, because southbound I-15 narrows abruptly where the toll lanes end, there's a bottleneck, routinely creating traffic backups just south of Corona.

The I-15 Interim Corridor Operations Project seeks to establish a longer transition zone that, officials hope, will ease the flow of traffic going into Temescal Valley.

The new general purpose southbound lane is slated to be completed before the end of summer.

More information is available at https://www.rctc.org/projects/interstate-15-interim-corridor-operations-project/.