SR 71 (CA)
Route description
Beginning at its southern terminus, SR 91 in Corona, SR 71 is an expressway for a half-mile when it intersects with Pomona Rincon Road. After this intersection, SR 71 becomes a freeway up to Rio Rancho Road before reverting to an expressway up to Mission Boulevard. (Previously, it was an expressway until its northern terminus, but this segment was upgraded to a freeway in 2012.) The route becomes a short freeway for about a mile until it meets at the Kellogg Interchange in San Dimas, where it terminates at I-10 and SR 57.
As of December 2016, all traffic signals were removed. Traffic entering and exiting the roads that lead into the nearby neighborhoods (North Ranch Road, Old Pomona Road, and Phillips Drive) may no longer enter or exit northbound due to added barriers in the highway's median. However, until 2021, southbound traffic could use these streets. (North Ranch Road, Old Pomona Road, and Phillips Drive can enter the highway via a stop sign.) These streets have been completely closed to southbound access as of 2021. Just south of the Mission Boulevard exit, all aspects of the highway, such as its alignment, lane width, pavement, barriers, and access, 'upgrade' to freeway standards.
The section of the highway between Corona and Chino is notorious for thick winter fogs at dawn and dusk, resulting in many automobile collisions when drivers fail to slow down due to reduced visibility. Residents of Los Serranos (now Chino Hills) recall being awakened by sounds of crinkling bumpers, fenders, and headlights.
As this freeway/expressway serves as an important northwest-southeast corridor between the cities in the Pomona and San Gabriel valleys (eastern Los Angeles County) and the cities of western Riverside County, it is heavily traveled. It is used as an alternative to SR 57 (the Orange Freeway) situated to the west and I-15 (the Ontario Freeway) located to the east.
When the route runs through Chino Hills and Chino, there is a high-occupancy vehicle lane available for use; however, this carpool lane ends when the route enters Riverside County (to the south) and Los Angeles County (to the north). The route is a four-lane highway between SR 91 and Central Avenue (excluding HOV lanes), a six-lane highway (excluding HOV lanes) from Central Avenue to SR 60, and again a four-lane highway from SR 60 to I-10/SR 57.
SR 71 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, and is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. SR 71 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System; however, it is not designated as a scenic highway by Caltrans.
History
The original routing of SR 71, according to the 1934 listing, was from US 80 (now I-8), in San Diego north to US 66 (now SR 66), near Claremont via Lake Elsinore and Temecula. The route between Claremont/Pomona and Lake Elsinore roughly followed the path of the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line. When the portion between San Diego and Temecula was redesignated US 395, SR 71 was rerouted to run from Pomona to Aguanga. In 1973, it was cut back to its present terminus in Corona, with the portion between Corona and Temecula becoming I-15 and the portion between Temecula and Aguanga becoming SR 79 and SR 371. The early section of the Chino Valley Freeway was built in 1971 from the Kellogg Interchange to SR 60 (the Pomona Freeway). The section from SR 60 to SR 91 (the Riverside Freeway) was completed in March 1998.
In September 2008, construction began on the Mission 71 Project in Pomona. A bridge was constructed to allow Mission Boulevard to pass over SR 71, which now has entrance and exit ramps to Mission. Also, the intersection with Ninth Street was closed. The freeway was extended south to the former intersection at Ninth Street, where it resumes expressway status to the intersection with Old Pomona Road. The construction project was completed in December 2011.
Future
The City of Pomona is currently working with Caltrans to convert the rest of SR 71 within its borders from its current status as a four-lane expressway to a full eight-lane freeway. This project is underway and is expected to be fully complete by 2027. Additionally, the Riverside County Transportation Commission is constructing a two-lane flyover ramp between eastbound SR 91 and northbound SR 71 to replace the current one-lane loop ramp.
Exit list
Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on a west-to-east alignment (including its original eastern segment that extended through Temecula and Anza), and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary ( ). Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
County | Location | Postmile | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Riverside RIV R3.03-R0.00 | Corona | R3.03 | — | SR 91 (Riverside Freeway) – Riverside, Beach Cities | Southern terminus of SR 71; interchange; SR 91 exit 45 |
2.44 | — | Pomona Rincon Road | At-grade intersection; government only access; downgrades to expressway | ||
San Bernardino SBD R8.48-R0.00 | Chino–Chino Hills line | R7.98 | 4 | SR 83 north (Euclid Avenue) / Butterfield Ranch Road | |
Chino Hills | R6.52 | 5 | Pine Avenue | ||
R4.89 | 7 | Soquel Canyon Parkway, Central Avenue | |||
Chino–Chino Hills line | R3.35 | 8 | SR 142 west (Chino Hills Parkway) / Ramona Avenue | ||
R1.82 | 10 | Grand Avenue, Edison Avenue | |||
R0.91 | 11 | Chino Avenue | Signed as exit 11A southbound | ||
Chino Hills | R0.09 | 12A | Riverside Drive / Peyton Drive to SR 60 east | “To SR 60 east” is not signed southbound; signed as exit 11B southbound; no southbound entrance | |
Los Angeles LA R4.70-R0.34 | Pomona | R4.31 | 12B | SR 60 west (Pomona Freeway) – Los Angeles | Southbound exit is via exit 13; SR 60 exit 29A eastbound |
R4.31 | 12 | SR 60 east (Pomona Freeway) – Riverside | Northbound exit is via exit 12A; SR 60 exit 29B westbound | ||
R3.61 | 13 | Rio Rancho Road to SR 60 west | “To SR 60 west” is not signed northbound | ||
| North end of freeway (southbound only) | ||||
1.92 | — | Old Pomona Road | Closed; former southbound exit and entrance; at-grade intersection | ||
- | — | N. Ranch Road | Closed; former southbound exit and entrance; at-grade intersection | ||
- | — | W. Phillips Drive | Closed; former southbound exit and entrance; at-grade intersection | ||
1.92 | — | Ninth Street | Closed; former at-grade intersection | ||
| South end of freeway (southbound only) | ||||
1.62 | 14B | Mission Boulevard | Former US 60 | ||
1.24 | — | Pomona Boulevard | Closed; former northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
R1.48 | 14A | Holt Avenue, Valley Boulevard to I-10 east – San Bernardino | Former US 99 south | ||
Pomona–San Dimas line | R0.34 | 15 | I-10 west (San Bernardino Freeway) – Los Angeles | Access to I-10 east via exit 14A; no access to SR 57 south; Kellogg Interchange; northern terminus of SR 71; SR 57 north is former I-210 west; I-10 exit 42B eastbound; SR 57 exit 22C southbound | |
San Dimas | SR 57 north (Orange Freeway) | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
See also
References
- ^ California Department of Transportation (July 2007). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
- ^ "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: Los Angeles, CA (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- ^ "Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets & Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- ^ "Map of 1963 routes". CA Highways. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
- ^ "Mission 71 Project". City of Pomona. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ Rodriguez, Monica (December 8, 2011). "Pomona's 71 Freeway/Mission Blvd. interchange is fully open". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Ontario, California. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ Rodriguez, Monica (January 8, 2013). "Pomona council selects option for improving 71 Freeway". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Ontario, California. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ "SR 71 Gap Project Highway to Freeway Conversion (I-10 to SR 60)". City of Pomona. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ "SR-71 Expressway to Freeway Conversion Project". Caltrans District 7. State of California. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "71/91 Interchange Project". Riverside County Transportation Commission. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
- ^ California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006
- ^ Staff. "SR 71 Freeway Interchanges" (PDF). California Numbered Exit Uniform System. California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 28, 2018.