The Pomona (60) Freeway between Riverside and Chino will be shut down on multiple occasions later this month and into the fall to facilitate resurfacing and other projects, collectively known as the “60 Swarm,” according to Caltrans.
The agency reported the work will officially get underway on July 22, with the first partial shutdown occurring on the night of Friday, July 26.
Crews will close the entire eastbound 60 between Interstate 15 in Ontario and the 60/91/215 Interchange in Riverside. The closure will start at 10 p.m. Friday and end at 5 a.m. Saturday, then be repeated Saturday and Sunday nights. According to Caltrans, the weekend nighttime closures on the eastbound 60 will continue until Sept. 9.
The first overnight closure of the westbound 60 is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 20, and will also be between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Officials said closures will resume Saturday and Sunday nights, during the same hours, on that weekend — and in the ensuing six weekends, ending Oct. 28.
Closures for 2020 have not been announced.
Entrance and exit ramps to the closed sections of the 60 will be inaccessible to traffic. Crews will use the closures to remove and replace entire slabs of pavement, according to Caltrans.
The agency is recommending that motorists travel Interstate 10 or state Route 91 during the shutdowns. However, surface streets in Jurupa Valley and Riverside will also be available.
In addition to the shutdowns, intermittent and extended lane closures are planned in the 20-mile construction zone, between Euclid Avenue in Ontario and the 60/91/215 interchange, Caltrans officials said, adding that portions of the Interstate 15/Route 60 Interchange in Ontario will also be periodically inaccessible for the duration of construction.
The lane closures are expected anytime between July 22 and November 2021, when the pavement replacement project is slated to conclude, according to Caltrans.
Rancho Cucamonga-based McLoughlin Engineering Co. is overseeing the $134 million project.
The other part of the 60 Swarm is comprised of bridge replacements, managed by Riverside-based Sema Construction Inc.
According to Caltrans, the Benson Avenue, Monte Vista Avenue and Pipeline Avenue overcrossings in Chino are all due to be razed and replaced with new spans. The current bridges were constructed with dimensions that make them prone to being swiped by oversized truck loads. Over the years, the repeated minor hits have had a cumulative impact, requiring the two-lane bridges to be replaced.
Alternating east- and westbound closures of the 60 at the site of each bridge are also planned, but officials were not specific about the timing.
The $23 million bridge replacement projects are slated to wrap up in the fall of 2021.