Project Delivery
State Route 91 High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Underway

Reducing delays and eliminating congestion moved one step closer as construction crews broke ground on the State Route 91 High Occupancy Vehicle (SR‑91 HOV) lane project. Caltrans is the lead agency on the project and is partnering with the Riverside County Transportation Commission and the city of Riverside. The $232 million project will construct one HOV lane in each direction from Adams Street to the 60/91/215 interchange. The HOV lanes will be built down the center of SR‑91 requiring modification to nine local under crossings and the reconstruction of four bridges. The 14th Street interchange, the Ivy Street Bridge, the Cridge Street Bridge, and the Pachappa Railroad Bridge will all be demolished and rebuilt as part of the project. “This project eliminates a bottleneck and replaces it with a state-of-the-art freeway corridor with improved ramps and bridges throughout the entire six-mile span,” said Supervisor John J. Benoit, RCTC’s chair.

“The construction of the HOV lanes are a vital addition to SR‑91,” Caltrans Director, Malcolm Dougherty said. “They are the final step in providing Riverside, Inland Empire, and Southern California residents a viable alternative to solo commuting along SR‑91.”

For additional information, visit www.caltrans8.info or contact Caltrans at (866) 383-4631.

Officials Celebrate Groundbreaking of SR‑91 HOV Project

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Interstate 10 Interchange Projects

Traffic on the I‑10, which ranges from 79,000 to 96,000 cars per day in the Coachella Valley, will begin to move more smoothly as a result of two new interchange projects being completed. A joint ribbon cutting ceremony was held for Indian Canyon Drive and the Palm Drive/Gene Autry Trail interchanges on March 9. Construction on two additional interchanges — I‑10/Date Palm Drive and I‑10/Monterey Avenue — continues with both projects slated to be completed in early 2013.

Information on the I‑10 interchange projects is available at www.i10CVCprojects.com.

Supervisor John Benoit

Ceremony Celebrating Congestion Relief on I‑10

Freeway Service Patrol

Jaime Cortez		The Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) program consists of a team of roving tow trucks that provide assistance to motorists with disabled vehicles along the freeway and continues to be a great success in Riverside County. At the FSP driver’s recognition meeting in March, four FSP operators were acknowledged for their service and dedication to the program.
Jaime Cortez, who works for Roy and Dot’s, received the highest honor as the 2011 Top Driver. The top driver award is chosen based on the number of assists per year, following proper FSP procedures, drivers’ accuracy rating when entering assist data and compliments received from motorists who were assisted. “Jaime was excellent,” one motorist shared, “He saved me time, money, and helped me get back on the road.” Benjamin Reyes, Joseph Dearth, and Oscar Pacheco with Pepe’s Towing, each received a 2011 Driver of Excellence Award.

Commission Adopts its Policy Goals and Objectives for Fiscal Year 2012/13

The initial step in the budget process is to develop policy goals and objectives that are consistent with the Commission’s overall strategic direction. For Fiscal Year 2012/13, the Commission’s seven long-term policy goals are:

The annual adoption of the goals and objectives for the budget provides an opportunity to match the Commission’s spending priorities in a manner that implements the promises made in the Measure A Expenditure Plan. The next step in the budget process is the development of the budget, which will be presented to the Commission at its May meeting through a public hearing process. The final budget will be approved at the June meeting.

A copy of the 2009 Measure A Expenditure Plan can be downloaded by clicking here.

Upcoming Commission Meeting

The Commission will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting on April 11, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. at the Riverside County Administrative Center, Board of Supervisors Meeting Room, 4080 Lemon Street, Riverside, California.

Speaker’s Bureau

The Commission also maintains a speaker’s bureau that actively makes presentations throughout the county on transportation issues. If you are interested in scheduling a presentation for your service club or community organization, please contact Eliza Echevarria at (951) 787‑7141 or eechevarria@rctc.org.

Follow RCTC on Twitter

In an effort to enhance public outreach, the Commission created a twitter account — an internet messaging site that allows anyone to post information on a real time basis. If you use Twitter, you can follow the Commission at twitter.com/RCTC.

Interested in what’s happening with traffic in the Inland Empire? IE511 is your best source for getting around Southern California. Real‑time traffic for Southern California, including travel times, freeway cameras, and incident information. IE511 also offers bus and rail transit information as well as rideshare for those seeking an alternative to automobile travel. Connect on the go. Call 511 within the Inland Empire or rely on IE511 wherever you go by calling 1‑877‑MYIE511.

Transportation in the News