| 210 Freeway nears completion
|
The end is near for the completion of State Route 210 in Rialto and San Bernardino as construction crews continue to build the final, largest bridge in the project and pave the brand new freeway lanes to connect to the City of Fontana. Soon, area residents will be invited to play on the freeway—the 210, that is—just as it readies to open to automobile traffic.
 |
|
State Route 210 construction remains on scheduled to open by the end of 2007.
|
Builders remain on schedule to have the 210 freeway, linking its current termination point just east of Fontana to Route 30 across northern San Bernardino, opened before the end of 2007, according to a spokesperson for the San Bernardino Association of Governments (SANBAG).
“We are down to the last remaining bridge that is being built, the last of 15 that were needed in the final 8-mile link from Fontana east of Sierra to the connection with Route 30,” said Cheryl Donahue, public information officer for SANBAG, the agency that is administering the freeway construction.
 |
| The largest bridge in the 210 construction project is nearly complete.
|
This final bridge across the Lytle Creek Wash also happens to be the largest in the entire 28-mile project. The bridge will help carry the freeway over the wash, a major runoff area from the mountains north of the freeway.
To say the bridge is the largest in the project is no exaggeration. The length of bridge is 558 feet. It is 157 feet wide, has four bridge spans in mid wash, requires 12,322 cubic yards of concrete, 3.7 million pounds of steel reinforcement and is anchored by columns that go 115 feet below ground to accommodate peak creek flood rates. The cost for the final bridge alone is $14.3 million.
As the project nears completion, many improvements are taking place. Other bridges along the route have been retrofitted to accommodate new needs, sound walls and retaining walls have been built and new drainage systems were installed, Donahue said.
“Paving the freeway lanes began in September (2006) and represented a major project milestone,” Donahue said. “The paving is an interesting process because it’s done in three separate layers that measure a total of 18 inches in depth.”
The base layer - the lean concrete base - is six inches thick. This is topped by a one-inch layer of asphalt concrete, followed by an 11-inch layer of Portland cement concrete.
 |
| This computerized “Mega” machine follows the grade of the freeway.
|
“The paving is completed using a state of the art machine that was featured on the Learning Channel’s ‘Mega Machines’ show.”
The “Mega” machine is a computerized device that is designed to follow the grade of the freeway, adjusting itself by computer as it goes.
Once the paving is completed, crews will cut and grind the concrete and smooth out the rough spots, connect electricity, place directional signs, install lighting and stripe the pavement lanes.
 |
| Crews are working hard to insure construction is completed on time.
|
“Then Caltrans goes through a pretty extensive process where they check everything before they open the freeway for use,” Donahue said.
That’s where the “playing” on the freeway will begin, with a grand opening and dedication ceremony planned for later this year. The “Come Play on the Freeway. The Finale” event is expected to include a bike ride, 5K and 10K runs and walks, mini basketball tournaments, vendor booths and other activities to celebrate the freeway's completion.
“The public will be invited to come play on the freeway and enjoy it before we put traffic on it,” Donahue said. “In the meantime we are urging people to please stay off the freeway until it is completed and fully opened to drivers.”
Construction of this final 8-mile portion of the 210 freeway started in July 2003. A final date has not been set for the completion, but SANBAG officials are promising that it will open before the end of 2007.
The $146-million project is already fueling business development in Fontana. Even as work on the final phase began, the route fueled interest from developers, according to Elisa Grey, Fontana economic development manager, “providing a new view into Fontana.”
Fontana Mayor Mark Nuaimi has labeled the Fontana portion of the 210 “The Miracle Mile” with major stores already opening along the route and the Auto Center continuing to grow.
 |
| The 210 will provide an alternate route to the congested I-10.
|
“We have waited a long time for this freeway to open,” Donahue said. “As drivers travel east, Route 210 will provide a new connection to Redlands and an alternate route to the frequently congested Interstate10.”
The 28-mile portion of freeway that stretches from La Verne to northern San Bernardino will have been built at a cost of $1.1 billion, connecting seven cities and two counties.
|
|
