Interstate 15 smart freeway pilot project

pre-construction

RCTC, in partnership with Caltrans, the City of Temecula, and the Western Riverside Council of Governments, is proposing an innovative corridor approach for improved traffic operations on northbound I-15 from the San Diego/Riverside County Line in Temecula to the I-15/I-215 Interchange in Murrieta. The proposed project will use sensors and “smart” technology to continuously monitor real-time traffic conditions on this eight-mile, non-tolled section of I-15. Severe traffic congestion occurs in this area, due to a high volume of vehicles entering the freeway simultaneously, especially during peak afternoon and evening hours. The project will also use ramp meters that work as a coordinated system that adapts to allow more or fewer vehicles to enter I-15 at any given time from the Temecula Parkway, Rancho California Road, and Winchester Road on-ramps. Designed as a two-year pilot project, the project is anticipated to improve overall traffic flow and reduce rear-end collisions by maintaining steady travel speeds within the I-15 corridor, without highway expansion and related construction costs and impacts. Drivers may initially experience short delays on the on-ramps but will gain overall time savings once on the freeway, with fewer stops and starts.

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