A $91 million project to dismantle the historic Mission Boulevard Bridge spanning Riverside and Jurupa Valley and replace it with an upgraded link between the cities will begin next week, requiring lane closures and other changes for the duration of the three-year undertaking.
“The existing Mission Boulevard Bridge was identified as seismically deficient, no longer meeting current safety standards,” according to a Riverside County Transportation & Land Management Agency statement. “The structure will be fully replaced with a modern 1,100-foot bridge, featuring two traffic lanes in each direction, added shoulders and a raised center median to improve overall safety for drivers.”
The current span, which crosses the Santa Ana River, has been in place since 1958, though the original bridgework foundation was established in the early 1920s, undergoing major modifications between then and the late 1950s due to storm-related impacts.
TLMA is supervising the project, but both the cities of Riverside and Jurupa Valley are invested in it.
Officials said demolition and reconstruction will occur in stages, impacting travel between Crestmore Road on the Jurupa Valley side and Mt. Rudidoux Drive at the Riverside city limits. The first stage will start Monday, when contractors initiate the process of removing the center median, requiring two of four lanes to be shut down all next week.
The following week, a long-term traffic shift will be implemented, with one lane available going into Jurupa Valley and both eastbound lanes open going into Riverside, according to TLMA. Those lane closures will result in slower traffic along the span daily.
The bridge is already a traffic chokepoint during various parts of the day, particularly early weekday mornings and late afternoons.
“Motorists are encouraged to allow extra travel time and follow posted signage in the work zone,” TLMA stated, adding that no “long-term full closures of Mission Boulevard are planned.”
The next stage of the project is anticipated in the spring of 2028, when a second significant traffic shift is planned, though specific details have not been announced.
Completion of the new span is expected in the latter half of 2029.
Funding for the project budget includes direct allocations from Jurupa Valley and Riverside, as well as California Proposition 1B grants and Federal Highway Bridge Program infusions, according to TLMA.
Additional information about the overall project, lane closures, planned detours and timelines can be found at missionblvdbridge.com/.