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For Immediate Release: January 26, 2006 |
Cheryl Donahue |
Ground-breaking ceremony for I-215 widening in San Bernardino set for Feb. 2
Grab a shovel, hard hat and saddle shoes. Local transportation officials will mark the start of work on the widening of Interstate 215 in San Bernardino with a ground-breaking ceremony on February 2 at noon.
San Bernardino Associated Governments, Caltrans, the Federal Highway Administration and the City of San Bernardino will host the outdoor ceremony, which will be held on the southwest corner of 5th Street and H Street. The event will feature a 1950s theme with oldies music, dancers and classic cars to commemorate the completion of the original freeway in 1959. The ceremony is open to the public; comfortable shoes are recommended.
Speakers will include Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod, Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter, San Bernardino County 5th District Supervisor Josie Gonzales, SANBAG President and 3rd District Supervisor Dennis Hansberger, San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris, Caltrans Director Will Kempton and SANBAG Executive Director Tony Grasso. Following the presentations, officials will don hard hats and take turns lifting shovels of dirt to symbolize the beginning of freeway construction in their city.
The first phase of the project will be the reconstruction of the 5th Street bridge, which will take about 30 months. Work is expected to start this summer to widen the freeway from south to north by adding two lanes – one general use lane and one carpool lane – in each direction, between Interstate 10 and Route 30. This will expand the freeway to five lanes in each direction, rather than the current three. Bridges will be widened throughout the corridor, on-ramps and off-ramps will be realigned and fast-lane entrances and exits will be eliminated. Sound walls will be built at selected locations along the freeway corridor.
The entire widening project is estimated to take six to seven years, contingent upon good weather and no unexpected construction difficulties.
To minimize delays to drivers, freeway lanes and local streets will remain open as much as possible. A Freeway Service Patrol within the construction zone also will help decrease traffic tie-ups. The Freeway Service Patrol now provides service from Interstate 10 to 2nd Street and is scheduled to expand throughout the construction zone by mid-2007.
The total cost of the I-215 widening project is estimated at $700 million and will be funded through a combination of federal, state and Measure I funds. Measure I is San Bernardino County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.
SANBAG will serve as the lead agency for the 5th Street bridge construction and for the widening of the freeway between Rialto Avenue and Route 30. Caltrans will be responsible for the freeway widening between Orange Show Road and Rialto Avenue. The Federal Highway Administration and City of San Bernardino will help provide oversight for the project.
A toll-free helpline, 1-877-215-NEWS is in place to assist with project questions. Calls will be returned by the next business day. Other information is available through the “Active Projects” section of the SANBAG website, www.sanbag.ca.gov.