San Bernardino's Giant I-215 Widening Project Now Complete

Federal, state and local officials celebrated at a ribbon cutting ceremony Jan. 24, the completion of San Bernardino's massive $647 million Interstate 215 North Corridor widening project that will improve access to the interstate's west side and overall mobility through the city of San Bernardino for more than 83,000 travelers daily. That number is expected to increase to 135,000 drivers daily by the year 2030. The project also created approximately 8,300 direct and indirect jobs in an area hard hit by the economic decline, San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris explained to the crowd. The massive project spanned seven years and includes 15 new bridges, four new lanes, two flyovers and the reconstruction of 34 ramps along the 7.5 mile route. The complete product also boasts artistic wallscapes that reflect the San Bernardino Mountains, the region's railroad history and natural springs. It was funded through a combination of $128 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, $117 million in State Proposition IB funds, and local Measure I funds — the voter-approved half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements in San Bernardino County. "The new I-215 set the stage for growth, created economic opportunity and helped Southern Californians get back to work," said Federal Highway Deputy Administrator Greg Nadeau, who traveled from Washington, D.C. for the ceremony. "San Bernardino residents can travel on a better road and get safely from one part of town to another without a freeway separating them and with fewer delays." Construction began in 2007 and was completed in four phases due to partnership between SANBAG (San Bernardino Associated Governments), Caltrans, The city of San Bernardino, the Federal Highway Administration and more than 60 subcontractors. "We now have one of the nation's most elaborate, efficient and safe freeway systems passing through the heart of San Bernardino County," said SANBAG President Bill Jahn, also a council member in the city of Big Bear Lake. "This project started before the nation's recession began. It weathered through some financial challenges during the recession and we feel confident it will help lead this region out of the recession." San Bernardino County Supervisor James Ramos touched on the job creation the project brought forward. "You saw the county working together with the state and with Caltrans to bring synergy and development that would bring jobs to our area," he said. "That's what this is about. This is a prime example of how we're meeting demands so we can market our community and market our region to bring jobs forward." Caltrans District 8 Director Basem Muallem addressed the audience; "This is a really important project for this reason: if you were to drive in the Inland Empire, in Riverside or San Bernardino, every two or three miles you're going to see some construction work. We are doing great, great work, working with our regional partners to deliver projects. I think this project is a poster-child that really exemplifies the collaborative work between Caltrans and our regional partners and FHWA. It took a great team effort to put a project like this together." "This project was so important that it didn't matter whether we were talking about congestion relief, corridor mobility or transportation improvement, we qualified with this project," said Fran Inman, California Transportation Commission (CTC). "I want to thank everybody for really keeping the pressure on us and making it happen. We have a lot of groundbreakings but... the best part is when we have these openings in our communities." Caltrans leaders say they hope the expansion and revitalization project will increase traffic flow and enhance access to both the east and west sides of San Bernardino to increase major good movements between the Victor Valley, Riverside County, Orange County and Los Angeles County.