The 91 Weekend Shift Project is now complete! 

Since kicking-off The 91 Weekend Shift Project, and thanks to the support of 91 Express Lanes Customers and 91 Freeway motorists alike, OCTA, Caltrans District 12 and construction crews have safely, efficiently and successfully repaved the 91 Express Lanes over a total of 8 weekends.

Starting in mid-September 2016, OCTA in partnership with Caltrans repaved the 91 Express Lanes from about the 55 freeway in Anaheim to the Orange County/Riverside County line. The 91 Express Lanes spans about 10 miles and includes two eastbound lanes and two westbound lanes.

Branded “The 91 Weekend Shift”, repaving occurred over 8 consecutive weekends, 4 weekends in each direction and 1 direction at a time. Paving began in the eastbound direction from about SR-55 to the county line. Once repaving was finished in the eastbound direction, crews repaved the 91 Express Lanes in the westbound direction, from about the county line to SR-55.  

Each weekend, only in the direction of paving operations, the project required the closure of the 91 Express Lanes in Orange County, as well as a rolling closure of the adjacent #1 general-purpose lane. Since there were no intermediate ingress or egress areas along the 91 Express Lanes, closure of the facility was for the full 10 miles. 

Paid for entirely by the 91 Express Lanes Capital Reserve Fund, this project extended the pavement’s lifespan for decades to come and motorists now benefit from a safer, smoother commute.

To maximize safety, reduce impact to motorist, and accelerate repaving, the 91 Express Lanes and sections of the #1 general-purpose lane were closed on the following weekends:

The 91 Weekend Shift Project was anticipated to  cause significant traffic congestion and extended delays.

Motorists were encouraged to avoid traffic congestion, bypass delays and most importantly get to their destination on time by:

• Avoiding the 91 Freeway between the 55 and 71 freeways, if possible
• Opting for alternate routes, like the 57, 60 and 10 freeways
• Taking Metrolink, vanpooling, or ridesharing
• Leaving early and planning for longer travel times

Project Highlights

Project History

The 91 Freeway has helped motorists and commerce travel smoothly from Orange County to Riverside County and to other nearby locations and events. With increased crowding on local freeways and state highways, express lanes play a pivotal role in reducing congestion by providing quick and reliable access to destinations. The 91 Express Lanes have become a global model for express lanes management and paved the way for other freeway improvement projects on the 91 Freeway. The 91 Express Lanes Pavement Rehabilitation Project was an important step toward ensuring continued mobility throughout the region, thus improving the quality of life for residents in the surrounding communities.

After decades of use transporting motorists and promoting trade between Riverside and Orange Counties, it was crucial for the 91 Express Lanes adjacent to the 91 Freeway between the 55 Freeway and the Orange/Riverside county line to be repaved. As a joint effort in September 2016, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), launched the 91 Express Lanes Pavement Rehabilitation Project. Branded “The 91 Weekend Shift”, the approximately $24.4 million project was funded entirely by the 91 Express Lanes Capital Reserve Fund. The main goal of the project was to rehabilitate the pavement of the express lanes to ensure the facility is safe and operation for another 20 years.

The contractor, R.J. Noble, a leader in the production, manufacturing, engineering and recycling of asphalt, asphalt rubber, and concrete products, worked around-the-clock each weekend closure to ensure the paving operations exceeded state and industry standards. Because of their exceptional work, the project was completed ahead of schedule and only required 8 construction weekends rather than the anticipated 10. In total 113,000 tons of asphalt, 110 miles of striping paint, and 10,000 new white delineators to separate the lanes were placed. Also added were 6 new changeable message signs to alert motorists of express lane pricing, traffic alerts, and safety tips along the 91 Freeway.

During construction of the project, the 91 Express Lanes and sections of the #1 general purpose lane were closed in each direction, one direction at a time over a course of 8 nearly consecutive weekends. Motorists were encouraged to plan accordingly for delays and take alternate routes during weekends. The “91 Weekend Shift” outreach team actively used social media, radio spots, email blasts, direct mail, digital ads, and freeway changeable message signs to encourage motorists to BE AWARE of the project closures schedule, PREPARE by planning for more travel time and using alternate routes, and SHARE the information with their networks.

Thanks to public cooperation and the collaborative effort of all agencies involved, the 91 Express Lanes Pavement Rehabilitation Project was a success and serves as a symbol of teamwork and accomplishment as part of the larger freeway network that keeps Orange County moving.

Interactive Timeline

Hover your mouse over each weekend marker to see the project milestones during the construction phase!

Project Team Interviews

• John Hong, Caltrans

  John Hong
  Company: California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
  Role: Resident Engineer
  

  Q: How long have you been working for Caltrans and what do you enjoy about working there?
  A: I have been working for Caltrans for 24 years. I truly enjoy the challenge of working on many types of projects with their own unique characteristics, as well as negotiating and partnering with the contractor. Caltrans provides a wide range of resources and opportunities to help me expand my knowledge and experience in Civil Engineering and management with projects of different scales.

  Q: Was there anything about this project that made it more challenging than other projects?
  A: The 55-hour continuous paving operation from Friday night to Monday morning required special advanced planning for staffing, traffic control, and traffic congestion. During the operation, quick decisions had to be made while encountering unknown conditions as we ground the existing asphalt. The risk of not being ready to open the lanes in time for the Monday morning traffic called for detailed and extensive communication with the contractor, OCTA, and Caltrans Management.

  Q: Was there a particularly memorable moment for you while working on the project?
  A: Yes. Due to weather conditions, the work was almost cancelled for one of the weekend of repaving. After checking the weather forecast and conforming that rain would begin late Sunday afternoon, the contractor decided to proceed with the construction with the goal of completing all the work before the rain. However, the rain came earlier and many calls were exchanged between the contractor and striping sub-contractor in order to install temporary striping as soon as possible to so that the Express Lanes would be open to traffic in time. The striping crew arrived and began the work, but the rain started to lightly fall while they were installing the stripes. Despite these conditions, the crew was able to complete the striping with very little time to spare. Had the contractor started even fifteen minutes later, we would not have finished striping and would have had to keep the WB-91 Express Lanes closed for an extra few days until the roads were dry enough to continue. Thanks to the combined efforts of all the teams involved, this situation was avoided.

• Douglas Pekrul, OCTA

  Douglas Pekrul
  Company: Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)
  Role: Project Manager
  

  Q: What has been your favorite aspect of the project?
  A: This project required extensive coordination between all team members and agencies, as well as public cooperation in order to make each phase of construction as smooth as possible.

  Q: Was there anything about this project that made it more challenging than other projects?
  A: Because there were multiple agencies involved, the huge amount of coordination required for each work weekend was challenging, but achievable.

  Q: What do you believe are the benefits of the completed project?
  A: The new pavement and new LED signs will add another 20 years of operation to the 91 Express Lanes. The newly paved lanes will also seamlessly connect into Riverside County’s project and thereby improves the 91 corridor on both sides of the county line

• Fernando Chavarria, OCTA

  Fernando Chavarria
  Company: Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)
  Role: Manager of Public Outreach
  

  Q: What has been your favorite aspect of the project?
  A: From a professional standpoint, the intense collaboration that was required in order to put together a solid multimedia plan in a short time frame was extremely challenging. OCTA originally did not believe we would need an outreach component, and therefore we were under a tight deadline to design a logo, invent a tagline, and the project an identity. I truly respect all my colleagues and team members as we were able to get the job done well with little drama.

  From a personal standpoint, I enjoyed reporting to the public that the project team achieved their goals each weekend and that the project was on schedule and within budget.

  Q: Was there a particularly memorable moment for you while working on the project?
  A: In order for the project to be successful, we had to earn the City of Corona’s confidence and trust. The City of Corona had concerns about impacts on the city with congestion on their streets and overall travel safety. They were afraid the quality of life in the city would be negatively impacted by the project. The outreach team addressed these concerns with thorough presentations to citizens, officials, and public groups that included traffic studies, schedules, and numerous public records requests. Being able to work closely with the residents of Corona and allay their worries about the project was particularly memorable.

  Additionally, every Monday I would drive up and down the project area to check the progress. Seeing 2-3 miles of fresh asphalt on the road was very satisfying and made me appreciate the construction team even more. It was through the hard work and collaborative efforts of everyone involved that the project was able to be completed successfully.

  Q: What do you believe are the benefits of the completed project?
  A: Customers now have a shorter and safer drive on the 91 freeway. The corridor has been improved overall to better meet growing transportation needs. From an organizational standpoint, the completion of this project further shows that OCTA has a track record worthy of the public’s confidence.