As part of a four-month repair project expected to be worse than 2011’s “Carmageddon,” nighttime closures will begin Monday on the 60 Freeway in the Inland Empire.
According to a map released by the California Department of Transportation, the freeway’s east and westbound lanes will shut down weeknights in Ontario between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. from July 22 to Nov. 18. The lanes will stay open during the day.
Weekend closures will begin on Friday:
- July 26-Sept. 23, except Labor Day weekend: Full closure of the eastbound 60 Freeway between Interstate 15 and the 60/91/215 junction in Riverside from 10 p.m. Fridays to 5 a.m. Mondays. During this time, drivers can use the westbound 60 Freeway to access local on- and off-ramps, Caltrans said.
- Sept. 28-Nov. 18, except Veterans Day: Full closure of the westbound 60 Freeway between the 60/91/215 junction in Riverside to I-15 from 10 p.m. Fridays to 5 a.m. Mondays. Motorists can take the eastbound 60 Freeway to get to the on- and off-ramps, officials said.
Caltrans advised drivers to avoid the 60 Freeway and take the 10, 15, 210 or 91 Freeway instead.
The project, which officials have dubbed the “60 Swarm,” will repair worn-out pavement slabs from Euclid Avenue in Ontario to the 60/91/215 junction in Riverside. Crews will also replace bridge structures on the freeway at Pipeline, Monte Vista and Benson avenues, according to Caltrans.
The $134 million repair includes $16.9 million in funding from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, Caltrans said. It’s expected to be completed in the fall of 2021.
The undertaking will be “bigger than ‘Carmageddon’ or ‘Coronageddon’ because it’s 15 weekends,” agency spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said. Those two closures only lasted 55 hours.
Officials have set up an information hotline at 1-833-60-SWARM (79276).
