The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) Board of Directors has advanced the contracted engineering work to complete the 241/91 Express Connector Project’s final design phase. The phase is anticipated to last until 2022, with construction expected to commence in 2023 and completion scheduled for 2025.
The 241/91 Express Connector will be a direct flyover ramp from the northbound 241 Toll Road to the eastbound 91 Express Lanes and from the westbound 91 Express Lanes to the southbound 241 Toll Road. The connector will provide improved connectivity between the 91 Express Lanes and the 241 Toll Road and will enhance traffic operations for State Route 91’s general purpose lanes and the northbound 241 Toll Road.
During the final design phase of a project, detailed plans, specifications and estimates are prepared so that a project can be bid and advanced into the construction phase.
“This project is going to make a huge difference for commuters in the region. I’m so pleased with the work that’s been done to move this effort forward and to see the project enter the next phase toward construction, which will create 2,250 jobs,” said Christina Shea, F/ETCA Chairwoman and Mayor of Irvine.
The F/ETCA is working in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and Riverside County Transportation Authority (RCTC) on the 241/91 Express Connector Project. The project's total estimated cost is $250 million and the F/ETCA is expecting to continue funding the project through completion with its unrestricted cash.
The project and partnership is part of suite of planned improvements in the area including the 15/91 Express Lanes Connector, State Route 91 Corridor Operations Project and the 71/91 Interchange Project.
Initial build-out of The Toll Road system (including the 241 Toll Road) was completed in the late 1990s. In 1994, the 241/91 Express Connector Project was approved as an identified and anticipated future improvement project.
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) are two joint powers authorities formed by the California legislature in 1986 to plan, finance, construct and operate Orange County’s public toll road system comprised of the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads.
