Lane, Ramp Closures Planned This Weekend for 91 Freeway Project

RIVERSIDE - Lanes on both sides of the Riverside (91) Freeway will be shut down -- and connector bridges that link two inland freeways to the corridor will be completely closed -- for work on a railroad crossing this weekend.

Caltrans officials, along with representatives from the city of Riverside and California Highway Patrol, will formally announce the closures during a briefing at Olivewood Avenue and Panorama Road at noon today.

Caltrans has dubbed the 56-hour closures the ''Downtown 91 Weekend Crunch.'' Motorists were expected to be warned to prepare for detours and travel delays.

According to state officials, the 91 will be narrowed from six to four lanes between Central Avenue and 14th Street beginning at 9 p.m. Friday.

Additionally, the northbound Interstate 215 connector to the 91 will be closed to all traffic from Friday night to early Monday morning. The eastbound Moreno Valley (60) Freeway transition to the 91 will also be closed for the duration -- with the exception of a five-hour window Sunday morning to facilitate the annual Mission Inn Run.

According to Caltrans, the 10th Street onramp to the westbound 91 will be closed for the weekend work, and the CHP will be implementing ''traffic breaks'' on the westbound side of the freeway, forcing motorists to slow to a crawl or come to a full stop at 60-minute intervals as part of the ''crunch.''

The interruptions are necessary for crews working on the $248 million SR 91 HOV Project to complete pile-driving ahead of the installation of support beams for the new Pachappa railroad overcrossing.

The rail bridge had to be replaced to enable crews to add an extra lane along a six-mile corridor. The freeway widening effort got underway in early 2012 and is slated for completion the middle of next year.