New interchange linking 91 and 71 freeways in Corona opens amid hopes to ease traffic

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- A new connector bridge that allows drivers on the eastbound 91 Freeway to more easily access the northbound 71 Freeway opened to drivers in Corona on Saturday morning.

"The 91 corridor, as everyone in Southern California knows, is one of our most congested corridors," said Aaron Hake, executive director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission. "Over 300,000 cars a day use this corridor."

Hake said the freeway as originally constructed forces drivers transitioning from the eastbound 91 Freeway to the northbound 71 to make a hairpin turn, which increases congestion on the freeway.

He said the connector road will reduce congestion caused by the design of that transition.

"This is a 2500-foot bridge that connects the eastbound 91 to the northbound 71 that will relieve the bottleneck at the interchange. It will also separate the traffic that's getting on the freeway in Corona from the traffic that's getting off the 91, so if you're just moving through you can just keep driving."

The project cost $137 million and took more than two years to complete.