Local Commuters To See Significant Delays On Several Southland Freeways

Lake Elsinore and Wildomar commuters who use the 15 Freeway for travel to San Diego will be hit with delays beginning June 18 as Express Lane construction continues. (See story .)

But for commuters who drive the 60, 405 or 10 freeways, they too can expect significant delays.

A two-mile section of the Pomona (60) Freeway in Riverside will undergo repairs starting next week, requiring nighttime lane closures on the heavily traveled route.

According to Caltrans, segments of the westbound and eastbound 60 between Rubidoux Boulevard and the 60/91/215 interchange will be removed and replaced with new slabs beginning Monday night and continuing through mid-July.

Crews will work on the project between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. weekdays.

Around 80 concrete slabs will be laid where the highway surface has been gouged or pitted because of storm damage and trucks, according to Caltrans.

At least one traffic lane will remain open on each side of the freeway at all times, but motorists should anticipate delays, transportation officials said.

The construction on the 15 and 60 freeways is in addition to a planned 10-mile, 53-hour closure of the heavily traveled 405 freeway in mid-July.

The closure will complete a 10-mile carpool lane network between Orange County and the San Fernando Valley.

Ramps along the 10-mile closure between Interstate 10 and Highway 101 will begin to shut down as early as 7 p.m. on Friday, July 15, and the closure of freeway lanes will begin at 10 p.m. to ensure full freeway closure by midnight.

The freeway will remain closed until 5 a.m. July 18, and all ramps and connectors will be reopened by 6 a.m.

Officials said they chose to close the freeway over a weekend to minimize inconvenience to weekday working commuters.

Cost on the 405 Freeway project is $1 billion.

Overhead sign installation on Interstate 10 will require full closure of the westbound freeway at Beaumont Avenue for three nights next week, a Caltrans spokeswoman said Wednesday.

All westbound traffic will be routed off the 10 at Beaumont Avenue and back onto the 10 at the same interchange, Caltrans District 8 spokeswoman Shelli Lombardo said in a phone interview.

The closures are scheduled from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Wednesday through Friday next week, Lombardo said. The dates are June 22, 23, and 24.

North-south traffic will be permitted on the Beaumont Avenue Bridge during the closures and detours, Lombardo said.

"Anticipate traffic control," a Caltrans statement said. "Traffic is expected to be light and delays minimal." --City News Service, Paul Chavez and Guy McCarthy contributed to this report