New Interstate 215 Interchange Opens In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Motorists traveling through the Perris and the San Jacinto valleys now have another option to enter and exit Interstate 215 with the opening of a new interchange.

The Riverside County Transportation Commission opened the I-215 Placentia Avenue Interchange on- and off-ramps at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, providing an alternative to the Ramona Expressway ramps to the north and the Nuevo Road ramps to the south.

Construction of the $42 million project began in August 2020.

“We are excited to deliver this important piece of infrastructure for our residents of Perris and neighboring communities,” said RCTC Chair and Riverside County 4th District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “This new interchange expands access to work and school and helps with traffic flow in this rapidly growing area.”

The project added ramps and widened the Placentia Avenue bridge over I-215 with new lanes between Harvill Avenue and Indian Road. Sidewalks, bicycle lanes and a barrier-separated equestrian path along Placentia Avenue were also added.

Crews also built detention basins to reduce local street flooding.

The interchange is the first construction project of the Mid County Parkway, a planned 16-mile corridor between Perris and San Jacinto.

RCTC began final design last month of the next Mid County Parkway segment, extending 8.6 miles along Ramona Expressway from Warren Road to about one mile east of Rider Street.

"The Mid County Parkway Ramona Expressway project will address high-priority safety needs for this segment of roadway with a history of vehicle collisions. The project also will reduce travel times and promote transportation equity for the Perris and San Jacinto valleys with better connections to I-215, Route 79, Metrolink service, and Riverside Transit Agency service," according to an RCTC news release.

The I-215 Placentia Avenue Interchange project provided close to 400 jobs during construction, the RCTC reported.