A planned closure of the westbound Riverside (91) Freeway in east Corona Friday evening and through the weekend for road work was cancelled Friday because of concerns over a Santa Ana wind event expected to impact the region.
“The Riverside County Transportation Commission cancelled the work to ensure the safety of construction crews, who were scheduled to place support structures for the 15/91 Express Lanes Connector Project,” RCTC spokesman John Standiford said.
According to the National Weather Service, northeast winds are predicted to intensify late Friday afternoon and continue into Saturday night. Gusts over 50 mph are in the forecast, and a High Wind Warning is in effect from 3 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday.
RCTC’s closure of westbound lanes on the 91 had been slated to begin at 9 p.m. and continue to 5 a.m. Monday on a 2-mile stretch from North McKinley Street to Main Street. All lanes will now remain available through the weekend.
Standiford said the full closure will be rescheduled sometime in the next month, weather-permitting.
The $270 million 15/91 Express Lanes Connector Project got underway last April and entails constructing a “seamless transition” between toll lanes on the 91 and toll lanes on I-15, according to RCTC.
The project is slated for completion in mid 2023.