This month, Caltrans will begin a $26 million road improvement project on a heavily traveled and congested stretch of the Interstate 15 Freeway in San Bernardino County. The project includes $2.5 million in funding from Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
The project will bring much-needed upgrades to a stretch of the 1-15 corridor in and near the cities of Fontana and Rialto. Each day, more than 132,000 vehicles, including nearly 9,200 heavy five-axle freight trucks, travel through this I-15 corridor. Improvements will include repaving on- and off-ramps, two outside lanes in each direction, and slab replacement where needed. Caltrans expects to complete the project in the summer of 2021.
“The I-15 is a major corridor serving the travelers and the trucking industry driving through Riverside and San Bernardino counties and up to the Nevada border,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “This SB 1 Rehabilitation Project will provide safer passage for commuters, traveling tourists and commercial goods movement in and around the desert communities.”
“Every day, 150,000 cars and trucks travel on this stretch of the I-15, with heavy trucks comprising 12 percent of that traffic,” said Caltrans District 8 Director Michael Beauchamp. “With this SB 1-funded project, the outside lanes, more predominately used by heavy freight trucks, will be replaced for a smoother and safer commute for motorists and goods movement.”
SB 1 provides an ongoing funding increase of about $1.8 billion annually for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the state highway system. SB 1 funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts by 2027.
Source: Fontana Herald News
