Caltrans officials on Thursday warned the partial closure of the 60 Freeway could create a further traffic headache in the Inland Empire as tens of thousands of people are expected to descend upon Fontana for the Hard Summer Music Festival this weekend.
For the second of eight weekends, all lanes and ramps on the eastbound 60 will be closed between the 15 Freeway and the 60/91/215 junction in Riverside from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
The annual Hard Summer event is taking place at the Fontana Speedway this Saturday and Sunday.
The speedway is located off the 10 Freeway, which is one of the main detours to avoid the “60 Swarm” project closure. Because of that, motorists are advised to use an alternate route during the festival to “avoid heavy traffic delays” in the Ontario and Fontana areas, according to Caltrans.
Instead, drivers are encouraged to use the 210 and 91 Freeways this weekend.
Up to 80,000 people are expected to attend Hard Summer this weekend, with many concertgoers arriving Friday, according to Caltrans public information officer Terri Kasinga.
The agency said it anticipates many attendees will be utilizing Cherry Avenue and other surrounding ramps along the 10 and 15 freeways between Friday and Sunday.
The eastbound 60 will be closed for seven more weekends before Caltrans shuts down the westbound freeway for eight weekends amid the major construction project.
The latest information on the 60 Swarm project can be found here.