On a recent morning, cars on the 215 Freeway could be seen from a Riverside overpass swerving left and right.
Why?
To avoid potholes.
An Assemblymember is raising concerns about the condition of the 215 — northbound and southbound — between the 60 Freeway in Riverside and Perris.
Deterioration of the highway has led to big potholes and uneven pavement, making it difficult for cars to drive smoothly, Assemblymember Corey Jackson, D-Perris, said.
Jackson has written to Caltrans, asking that officials speed up their planned repairs to improve the freeway.
“I think the freeway deteriorated faster than they anticipated,” he said. “Reconstruction shouldn’t be based upon a schedule, but based upon a level of urgency.”
Caltrans officials are not certain if they will expedite construction projects but, for now, their schedule calls for resurfacing the stretch as part of a $35 million rehabilitation project that would start later this summer. It plans another project that would begin in late 2025.
Jackson is requesting that the job start sooner and is waiting to find out if Caltrans will approve his request.
The first project will focus on Perris and upgrade the 215 from 4th Street to the Ramona Expressway, Caltrans spokesperson Mariam Rojo said.
The second part, a $45 million dollar project making freeway repairs from the Ramona Expressway north to Martin Luther King Boulevard in Riverside, will begin in summer 2025, Rojo said.
Rojo said that increased truck traffic can slowly deteriorate a highway. Also, the heavy rainfall that the Inland Empire experienced in the past year also could have helped cause the excessive number of potholes and flawed surfaces on the 215, Rojo said.
Jackson also cited several recent wet seasons as the major cause of the decomposing route.
“Even when I’m going home, I drive it, and you literally feel like you have to drive with caution,” Jackson said.
Jackson believes the part of the 215 that needs the most maintenance is from Harley Knox Boulevard south to Nuevo Road, in both directions. He also cited the stretch between the 60 Freeway interchange in Riverside and the city of Perris. Commuters and drivers who use the route have continued to have problems with it, Jackson said.
Jackson plans to request a meeting with Secretary Toks Omishakin, who runs the California State Transportation Agency.
“We are going to push for this work to be expedited as hard as we can,” Daniel Peeden, Jackson’s district director, said.
It is uncertain how long both renovations will take, but the public can check on upcoming Caltrans projects via social media or by clicking here.
