Department of Transportation (DOT) officials celebrated the opening of the Devore Interchange Project in San Bernardino, California, with state and local officials this week.
The DOT said the new interchange lanes aim to relieve congestion at the junction of I-15 and I-215, which handles approximately 160,000 vehicles daily. A Caltrans estimate indicates that traffic is likely to reach 379,000 daily by 2040.
“The tremendous growth in Southern California and the Inland Empire has made it paramount to improve the interchange and provide congestion relief to both commuters and truckers,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “We need more of these types of projects nationwide that fix traffic bottlenecks while underscoring the need for sustained and robust federal funding.”
The project added an additional 5.3-mile lane of traffic in each direction to the I-15/I-215 interchange and adjacent interchanges. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) contributed $200 million to the $325 million project.
“Projects like this one illustrate the nation’s ongoing need to upgrade our infrastructure and prepare for increased freight movement if we are to support continued economic growth,” FHWA Deputy Administrator David Kim said.
