Parts of 91 Freeway to close in Corona, Orange County due to massive improvement project

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- The eastbound 91 Freeway will be closed starting Friday as crews work on repairs to the roadway.

John Standiford with the Riverside County Transportation Commission said congestion on the 91 Freeway through Corona, which is dubbed the Corona Crawl, may be even worse over the weekend.

"I would really suggest that people consider taking the 60," he said.

On Friday night, there will be a full closure of the eastbound 91 Freeway near the 15 Freeway to pour concrete over a large flyover.

Then on Saturday, a full closure will be done on the eastbound freeway to remove the Maple Street Bridge. The closure is expected to last until noon on Sunday.

But Standiford said there's light at the end of the tunnel. The project is set for completion next year, at which time there will be two added toll lanes and five free lanes.

The other closure that 91 Freeway drivers should keep in mind is that express lanes on the eastbound side in Orange County will be closed over the next five weekends for repaving. The following five weekends will then result in the closure of the westbound side for repaving.