The Point: Closure needed to allow crews to safely shift motorists to new westbound lanes
Thinking about driving through the Badlands in Riverside County the weekend of August 7? You may want to rethink your plans or allow plenty of extra travel time, due to planned closures, August 7-10.
RCTC’s Route 60 Truck Lanes Project will require a full closure of the westbound lanes between Gilman Springs Road in Moreno Valley and the Interstate 10/Route 60 Interchange in Beaumont, from Friday, August 7 at 9 p.m. to Monday, August 10 at 6 a.m. One eastbound lane also will be closed nightly after 9 p.m. and will reopen daily before 7 a.m.
Crews will be shifting motorists onto recently paved westbound lanes and moving k-rail into place to allow work to begin in the Route 60 median. If you must travel that weekend, please expect significant delays, allow extra time, and use Interstate 10 as an alternate route.
Project construction began in June 2019. During the past year, crews have been excavating the steep hillsides to create space to add a truck lane in both directions. So far, crews have excavated a whopping 1.6 million cubic yards of dirt, about 78 percent of the total needed for the project.
During that time, crews also have built drainage systems using 7,000 feet of drainage pipe and are building two 20-foot by 20-foot wildlife crossings.
Paving of the westbound lanes began this June. The 12-inch thick top layer of concrete will cure this week and next week before drivers shift to the new lanes the night of August 7.
The $113 million construction project is expected to be complete in 2022.
For information, visit rctc.org/60trucklanes or follow the project on social media using @60trucklanes