Closure of Eastbound 60 Freeway Continues Through Weekend

   JURUPA VALLEY (CNS) - Half of the 60 Freeway between Ontario and Riverside will remain closed through the weekend until Monday morning to facilitate resurfacing projects, in what represents the first round in a series of weekend-long closures Caltrans officials said are necessary to expedite freeway rehabilitation work.
   Crews Friday night shut down the entire eastbound 60 between Interstate 15 in Ontario and the 60/91/215 interchange in Riverside, roughly 13 miles. The closure is not scheduled to end until 5 a.m. Monday, though work may wrap up earlier. According to Caltrans, the weekend closures on the eastbound
60 will continue, over the same 55-hour periods, until Sept. 23.
   Work will be suspended during Labor Day weekend, however.
   ``The contract allows these weekend closures in order to expedite pavement work, rather than have night and daytime closures for long periods of
time,'' Caltrans District 8 spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said Tuesday.
   The closures are part of what Caltrans has dubbed the ``60 Swarm,'' referring to multiple projects occurring over the next two years along the 60
freeway. The ``Swarm compilation'' will cover a 20-mile stretch, from Chino to downtown Riverside, Kasinga said.
   Officials acknowledged the weekend disruptions will be hard on
travelers and businesses that depend on the traffic, but weekday work commuters
will be spared delays in return.
   The first overnight closure of the westbound 60 is scheduled Sept. 27,
and will also begin at 10 p.m., then end at 5 a.m. Sept. 30. Officials said
the westbound closures will continue over the ensuing seven weekends, ending
Nov. 18. Work will be suspended for Veterans Day weekend, though.
   Closures for 2020 have not been announced.
   Entrance and exit ramps to the closed sections of the 60 will be
inaccessible to traffic. Crews will use the closures to remove and replace
entire slabs of pavement, according to Caltrans.
   The agency is recommending that motorists use state Route 91,
Interstates 10, 15 and 215 during the shutdowns. Surface streets in Jurupa
Valley and Riverside will also be available for east-west travel.
   In addition to the shutdowns, intermittent and extended lane closures
are planned in the construction zone, between Euclid Avenue in Ontario and the
60, 91 and 215, officials said, adding that portions of the Interstate 15/Route
60 interchange in Ontario will also be periodically closed during the Swarm.
   Single lane closures began Monday night in several locations and will
end in November 2021, when the pavement replacement project is slated to
conclude, according to Caltrans.
   Rancho Cucamonga-based McLoughlin Engineering Co. is overseeing the
$134 million project.
   The other part of the 60 Swarm is comprised of bridge replacements,
managed by Riverside-based Sema Construction Inc.
   According to Caltrans, the Benson Avenue, Monte Vista Avenue and
Pipeline Avenue overcrossings in Chino are all due to be razed and replaced
with new spans this fall.
   Officials said the current bridges were constructed with dimensions
that make them susceptible to being bumped by oversized truck loads. Over the
years, the repeated minor hits have had a cumulative impact, requiring the two-
lane bridges to be replaced.
   Alternating east- and westbound closures of the 60 at the site of each
bridge are also planned.
   The $23 million bridge replacement projects are slated to end in the
fall of 2021.
   More information is available via the 60 Swarm hotline: 833-607-9276.