Pre Construction

The Riverside County Transportation Commission and City of Lake Elsinore, in partnership with Caltrans and the Western Riverside Council of Governments is implementing the Interstate 15 Franklin Street Interchange Project.

The proposed project will improve traffic flow, reduce travel time, and address the growing needs of the area’s residents, businesses, and recreational visitors. The new Franklin Street Interchange will:

• Increase transportation options by implementing a new, four lane overcrossing
• Enhance safety and traffic flow through new auxiliary lanes to help reduce traffic back-ups
• Improve air quality by reducing the number of idling vehicles waiting to enter/exit I-15
• Expand access for the community by constructing ADA compliant pedestrian and bicycle facilities on the existing Franklin Street overcrossing
• Improve overall operation of interchange and surrounding streets
• Accommodate projected future traffic flow and movement to relieve existing traffic congestion

The Riverside County Transportation Commission, in coordination with Caltrans, the Orange County Transportation Authority, the Transportation Corridor Agencies, and the City of Corona, will add a lane to eastbound State Route 91 from the 241 Toll Road connector to State Route 71 in Corona. The new lane is intended to help improve traffic operations on eastbound 91, especially during afternoon and evening hours.

Improvements also include:

• Widening two bridges
• Constructing retaining walls
• Rockfall mitigation measures
• Replacing overhead signs for better visibility
• A new two-lane exit ramp at Green River Road

The project is currently in the environmental revalidation phase, which is expected to be completed in fall 2026. RCTC is anticipated to award a Progressive Design-Build (PDB) contract in late 2026 to design and build the project.

The Riverside County Transportation Commission, in partnership with the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink), is upgrading the 91/Perris Valley Line (PVL). The Metrolink Double Track Project: Moreno Valley to Perris will upgrade 6.5 miles of existing freight railroad track along the PVL to meet current standards for Metrolink passenger rail service. The historic freight track is rated for much slower speeds than passenger trains require. The project will also construct a second set of tracks along the PVL to accommodate passenger rail service between the Moreno Valley/March Field Station and just north of the Perris-Downtown Station.

The improvements will expand travel options for Riverside County commuters along the I-215, who face some of the longest commutes in southern California. The project will also increase access to jobs and education in this traditionally underserved area, reduce air pollution, and help strengthen Metrolink service reliability.

The project will also improve connections to the Moreno Valley/March Field Metrolink Station, which was upgraded in 2025, and the planned Mead Valley Metrolink Station/Mobility Hub Project.

The Interstate 10 Highland Springs Avenue Interchange Project, informed by preliminary studies conducted in partnership with Caltrans and the cities of Banning and Beaumont, would reconfigure lanes to the I-10 underpass at Highland Springs Avenue and add merging lanes to the ramps to improve traffic flow and safety.

The Riverside County Transportation Commission, in partnership with the California Department of Transportation, has conducted preliminary engineering and environmental studies to develop the Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA) for the proposed Interstate 15 Express Lanes Project Southern Extension.

The proposed project would improve and manage traffic operations, congestion, and travel times along the corridor by extending the I-15 Express Lanes an additional 15.8 miles from El Cerrito Road in Corona, through Temescal Valley, to State Route 74 (Central Avenue) in Lake Elsinore. The project would add two tolled express lanes in both directions within the I-15 median to accommodate increasing traffic volumes in southwestern Riverside County. The project would also add southbound I-15 auxiliary lanes between the Nichols Road entrance ramp and the Main Street exit ramp in Lake Elsinore.

Once built, the project would improve traffic operations and travel times, expand travel choice through carpooling and mass transit, increase travel time reliability, manage long-term traffic congestion, provide a cost-effective mobility solution, and expand and maintain compatibility with the regional Express Lanes network.

Other project features include widening up to 15 bridges, creating multiple express lane entrance and exit points, as well as building noise barriers, retaining walls, drainage systems, and electronic toll collection equipment and signs.

RCTC, in coordination with the Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District (RivCo Parks) and other project partners, is proposing the construction of a 12.8-mile section of the Santa Ana River Trail (SART). When completed, this section will provide a direct trail connection through Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties.