State Route 71 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. Serving Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles counties, it runs from SR 91 in Corona to the Interstate 10/SR 57/Kellogg Interchange at the Pomona–San Dimas boundary. The segment from SR 91 to SR 83 in Chino Hills is called the Corona Freeway, formerly the Corona Expressway and before then the Temescal Freeway. SR 71 is designated as the Chino Valley Freeway between SR 83 and the Kellogg Interchange.
Route description
Beginning at its southern terminus, SR 91 in Corona, SR 71 is an expressway for a half mile when it intersects with Pomona Rincon Road. SR 71 then becomes a freeway up to Rio Rancho Road, where it becomes an expressway up to Mission Boulevard. The route becomes a short freeway for about a mile until it meets at the Kellogg Interchange complex in San Dimas, where it terminates with Interstate 10 and SR 57. As of December 2016, all traffic signals have been removed. Traffic entering and exiting the roads that lead into the nearby neighborhoods may no longer enter or exit northbound due to added barriers in the median of the highway. However, southbound traffic may use these streets. Just south of the Mission Boulevard exit, all aspects of the highway, such as its alignment, lane width, pavement, barriers, and access, 'upgrade' to freeway standards. The section of highway between Corona and Chino is notorious for thick winter fogs at dawn and dusk, resulting in many automobile collisions when drivers fail to slow down due to reduced visibility. Residents of Los Serranos recall being awakened by sounds of crinkling bumpers, fenders and headlights. As this freeway/expressway serves as an important northwest-southeast corridor between the cities in the Pomona and San Gabriel valleys and the cities of western Riverside County, it is heavily traveled and is used as an alternative to the Orange Freeway, State Route 57 located to the west, and the Ontario Freeway, Interstate 15 located to the east. When the route runs through Chino Hills and Chino, there is a high-occupancy vehicle lane available for use; however, this carpool lane ends when the route enters Riverside County and Los Angeles County. The route is a four-lane highway between SR 91 and Central Avenue, a six-lane highway from Central Avenue to SR 60, and again a four-lane highway from SR 60 to I-10/SR 57. SR 71 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, and is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. SR 71 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System; however, it is not designated as a scenic highway by Caltrans.
History
The original routing of Route 71 according to the 1934 listing was from U.S. 80, now Interstate 8, in San Diego north to U.S. Route 66, now State Route 66, near Claremont via Lake Elsinore and Temecula. When the portion between San Diego and Temecula was redesignated U.S. 395, Route 71 was rerouted to run from Pomona to Aguanga. In 1973, it was cut back to its present terminus in Corona, with the portion between Corona and Temecula becoming Interstate 15 and the portion between Temecula and Aguanga becoming Route 371. The early section of the Chino Valley Freeway was built in 1971 from the Kellogg Interchange to the Pomona Freeway. The section from SR 60 to the Riverside Freeway was completed in March 1998. In September 2008, construction began on the Mission 71 Project in Pomona. A bridge was constructed to allow Mission Boulevard to pass over Route 71, which now has entrance and exit ramps to Mission. Also, the intersection with Ninth Street was closed. The freeway was extended south to the former intersection at Ninth Street, where it resumes expressway status to the intersection with Old Pomona Road. The construction project was completed in December 2011.
Future
The City of Pomona is currently working with Caltrans to convert the rest of Route 71 within its borders from its current status as a four-lane expressway to a full eight-lane freeway. This project has an estimated completion date of 2023. Additionally, the Riverside County Transportation Commission plans to construct a two-lane flyover ramp between eastbound SR 91 and northbound SR 71 to replace the current one-lane loop ramp.
