Motorists are being advised to avoid the 91 Freeway in Corona as a planned a 55-hour weekend closure was scheduled to begin Friday night.
Both directions of the 91 Freeway between Interstate 15 and the 71 Freeway will be shut down from 9 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday to accommodate work on a freeway expansion project, according to the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
During the closure, dubbed the "Corona Carmageddon,'' crews will demolish the west side of the Maple Street Bridge and install support beams for a new flyover ramp bridge and pave a portion of the eastbound 91 under Interstate 15.
"By fully closing the roadway, we will be able to consolidate these significant construction efforts into one weekend, rather than multiple weekends or extending this over a month of weeknights," said RCTC Executive Director Anne Mayer.
"Consolidating the work activities within one weekend will reduce the number of closure hours by more than 50 percent. The project's design-build method allows for flexibility in planning work, such as this weekend closure," she said.
During the closure, all westbound traffic attempting to transit the 91 through Corona will be diverted onto Interstate 15, and all eastbound vehicles will be detoured onto the 71 expressway.
Motorists traveling on the 91, 71 or I-15 near the project area during the closure period can expect delays of three to four hours, officials said.
Commuters trying to go east or west via inland or Orange County freeways are encouraged to use Interstate 10, state Route 60 or state Route 210 through the weekend.
For more information on project, visit the "91 Steer Clear'' website.
