Officials broke ground Wednesday in Nuevo to mark the start of the next phase of an expansion project along the Ramona Expressway to improve traffic flow and safety between Perris and San Jacinto.
Riverside County Transportation Commission staff gathered with others Wednesday to announce that the second phase of the Mid County Parkway Project is officially underway.
“Improving safety and mobility between Perris and San Jacinto has been a longstanding priority for the region,” RCTC Chair Ray Gregory said during the groundbreaking at the agency’s Project Yard just off the expressway. “Thanks to our partnership with the county and state, we are delivering on that priority. This stretch of roadway has experienced serious safety challenges, and these improvements will make travel safer for drivers, bicyclists and wildlife.”
Joining Gregory were county Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez, state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, D-Corona, and California Transportation Commission Director Paulette Brown-Hinds.
The second phase of the Mid County Parkway Project is budgeted at $184 million. It will entail installing an additional east- and westbound lane — turning the corridor into a four-lane, instead of a two-lane, passage — on an 8.6-mile stretch, between the Lakeview community to the west and the northwestern edge of San Jacinto, near the junction of Highway 79 to the east.
Crews will also reconstruct the San Jacinto River Bridge to accommodate the extra traffic lanes, raise the center median for improved traffic separation, and add traffic signals at strategic locations, according to the RCTC.
Phase Two will likely wrap up before the end of 2028, officials said.
There will be periodic travel delays on the expressway over the duration of the work.
The first phase of the project involved erecting a new interchange at Interstate 215 and Placentia Avenue in Perris. The new interchange opened in late 2022. Following the current phase, two others are in the works, requiring further expansion projects on roughly 7.5 miles of the expressway. Those phases haven’t received funding yet.
The entire project area spans 16 miles, between I-215 to the west and Highway 79 to the east.
Federal transportation outlays, as well as state funds, countywide Measure A tax revenue and an allocation directly from the county are covering the costs of the current phase.
More information is available at rctc.org/projects/mid-county-parkway-ramona/.