The southbound 71 Freeway through Chino and Chino Hills will be closed all this weekend as crews continue working to build a new interchange to improve safety and traffic flow.
The southbound 71 Freeway will be shut from Butterfield Ranch Road/Euclid Avenue south to the 91 Freeway.
Riverside County Transportation Commission plans a full weekend closure of the westbound 91 near the interchange later this year but officials don’t know when.
This week, the freeway will shut Friday, Aug. 16, at 10 p.m. and reopen Monday, Aug. 19, at 5 a.m.
The southbound 71 Freeway connectors to the eastbound and westbound 91 Freeway will also be closed all weekend.
With no traffic on the freeway, crews plan to remove pavement, grade soil, pour concrete and stripe a section of the newly aligned southbound 71 lanes, a commission news release states.
The traffic restrictions are part of the 71/91 Interchange Project, a plan to improve traffic congestion between Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties, the release states.
The $137-million project will replace the single-lane loop connector between the eastbound 91 and the northbound 71 with a new, two-lane connector ramp, according to the commission.
Crews are building a new connector deck that will connect to the 71 Freeway as well as realigning the eastbound 91 Green River Road on-ramp and are adding auxiliary lanes, said David Knudsen, the commission’s deputy executive director.
An eastbound 91 auxiliary lane will be built to improve access to the new direct connector to the northbound 71. Auxiliary lanes, which extend from one freeway exit to another, help drivers enter and exit a freeway.
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The closure will cause a detour and reroute northbound drivers on the 71 to the Butterfield Ranch Road/Euclid Avenue off-ramp in Chino Hills. They can return to the northbound 71 Freeway or be detoured to the 60 Freeway, then can use the southbound 15 Freeway to the east or the southbound 57 Freeway located to the west to reach the 91 and other destinations.
“Closing the lanes protects our crews from live traffic, protects drivers from construction activity and allows everyone to return home safely,” Knudsen said.
Construction began in February 2023 and the project is anticipated to be completed in 2025.
To register for construction updates, text 7191interchange to (855) 793-2625 or sign up through the project webpage, rctc.org/71-91Interchange.
