Most lanes in a 6-mile stretch of the Inland area’s busiest freeway may close for an entire weekend next month.

Transportation officials may shut nearly all of the 91 in Corona between the 71 and I-15 from 9 p.m. Feb. 19 to 4 a.m. Feb. 22.

The move would give construction crews time to build a complex new bridge to span the 91 at Maple Street, said John Standiford, deputy director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission, which is overseeing the project. Otherwise, the work would have to be done during 10 subsequent weekend closures at night, he said.

If the February weekend closure is approved, one or two lanes could remain open for local traffic, he said. Under the proposal, one to two westbound lanes could be open west of Maple Street, Standiford said, and one or two eastbound lanes could be open east of Lincoln Avenue.

Those details haven’t been ironed out and could change, Standiford said. A small stretch of the 91 would be fully closed.

A public meeting will likely be held in Corona this week to discuss the planned closure, but Standiford said there’s “no obligation” for project managers to host a meeting.

A full closure for a weekend would also allow contractor Atkinson-Walsh to make headway on other parts of the 91 expansion, including a cluster of smaller projects east of downtown Corona.

Corona residents weary of routine delays took to Facebook with a reluctant acceptance after hearing of the plan.

Amanda Apperson wrote that, because most freeway traffic is during the week, she supports the short but painful weekend closure, “the sooner the better.”

Jill Kaminski wrote that the situation would “force us all to relax and enjoy a weekend home.”

Such shutdowns have happened before.

A section of I-215 in San Bernardino closed for a day in 2014 while a rail bridge was being built. In July 2011, I-405 in west Los Angeles was shut down for weekend repairs in what became known as “Carmageddon.” Caltrans reported that fewer vehicles used L.A. roads that weekend, and Metrolink trains had a 50 percent uptick in riders.

Standiford cited safety and cost benefits to the planned 55-hour closure in Corona.

The proposal is not an attempt to make up for delays caused by the partial collapse of a 91 on-ramp last year, he said.

Ten workers were injured Oct. 9 when the wooden supports and jacks they were using to lower the bridge gave way, causing the concrete slab to drop roughly 16 inches. The damaged ramp was eventually demolished and rebuilt.

Corona Councilwoman Karen Spiegel said that after hearing from the commission, project engineers and community task force members, she supports next month’s planned closure.

“It’s better to get it over with than drag it out,” Spiegel said. “It’s like that sore that’s not healing – better to deal with it now.”

Wes Speake, a member of the task force created to improve communication with project officials, toured the project site with engineers Friday.

Speake said he’s confident in the plan.

“The complexity of these braided on- and off-ramps – it’s highway brain surgery,” said Speake, who works as a consultant for transportation workers.

If the project is approved, an “advertising blitz” will be used to alert drivers, Standiford said. Publicizing what Speake dubbed “Coronageddon” is better than catching drivers off-guard for 10 weekends, he said.

Organizing a freeway closure of such scale requires cooperation from city officials, law enforcement, Caltrans and emergency workers, Standiford said. Ensuring that people could be taken to area hospitals fast and reliably was key to any plan moving forward, Corona Fire Chief Dave Duffy said.

Along with limited freeway access, Duffy said the department will have additional staff during the 55-hour closure, with crews set up north of the Maple Street ramp so they can respond quickly to any emergency.

One benefit of the weekend closure is it would cut down on preparation work required to open and close a major highway, Corona Councilman Dick Haley said. Instead of spending hours 10 times to mobilize equipment and block traffic, the work would be done only once.

“It’s like baking a cake and preheating an oven,” Haley said. “Are you going to warm it up every time, or are you going to make all 10 cakes at once?”

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