Interstate 215 (California)

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Interstate 215
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Defined by S&HC § 515, maintained by Caltrans
Length: 54.5 mi[1] (87.7 km)
Formed: 1982
South end: I-15 in Murrieta
Major
junctions:		 SR 60 / SR 91 in Riverside
I-10 near San Bernardino
North end: I-15 at Devore
State highways in California (list - pre-1964)
County routes in California (list)
< SR 213 SR 216 >
History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

Interstate 215 (abbreviated I-215, and colloquially referred to as The 215 or the two-fifteen) in California is a 54.5 mile long north-south regional bypass interstate freeway in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.

However, I-215 is not a true bypass since it travels through the major Inland Empire cities of Riverside and San Bernardino while its parent route Interstate 15 runs through the suburbs. Also, the physical alignment of the 215 is not continuous – in Riverside it is co-signed with the Moreno Valley Freeway (State Route 60) for about 5 miles.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System[2] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System[3].

Contents

[edit] Route description

Major cities
Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs

The southern terminus of Interstate 215 is at the junction of Interstate 15 in the city of Murrieta in southern Riverside County. It then runs north through Perris before joining State Route 60 in Moreno Valley.

I-215 splits from SR 60 at the State Route 91 in Riverside, where it then travels to San Bernardino before terminating at I-15 near the small community of Devore.

This route is an alternative to I-15 for drivers traveling between, for example, Phoenix, Las Vegas, the Mojave Desert, San Bernardino and the San Diego metropolitan area. This bypass offers more of a distance advantage since it bypasses I-15's alignment which is about 10 miles to the west of, and parallel to, I-215. However, the traffic and time "advantage" on the 215 is limited by three factors: the segment between the I-15/I-215 Devore junction and San Bernardino only has two lanes in each direction (whereas I-15 has four); it is co-signed with SR 60 between Riverside and Moreno Valley; and it has only two lanes in each direction between Perris and Murrieta.

I-215 is also used by local residents as the major north-south route for the eastern portions of the San Bernardino-Riverside-Ontario metropolitan area. (I-15 serves a similar function in the western portion of the metropolitan area; the two are the only continuous north-south freeways in the area.)

The 215 is named the Escondido Freeway from its southern terminus in Murrieta to SR 60 in Moreno Valley. Between the SR 60/SR 91 interchange in Riverside to Interstate 10 in San Bernardino, the freeway is known as the Riverside Freeway. From that point to its northern terminus, I-215 is named the Barstow Freeway.

On January 24, 1957, the State Highway Commission defined the Escondido Freeway as what is now Routes 15 and 215 from Route 805 to Route 91. Note that this entire segment was previously Route 395 when it was named. Since then, the definition was extended on Route 15 south to Route 8 by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 34, Chapter 67 in 1979.[4] Meanwhile, the segment of Route 15 from the San Diego County Line to the I-15/I-215 interchange was named the Temecula Valley Freeway in 1990.[5]

[edit] History

The alignment of what is currently I-215 first opened in 1963 as part of U.S. Route 395. This segment of U.S. 395 was decommissioned in 1972 in favor of Interstate 15E. Then in 1982, the route was renumbered as I-215 north of SR 60, and State Route 215 south of SR 60. Once State Route 215 was upgraded to Interstate Highway standards, it became part of I-215 in 1994. The mileposts in Riverside County reflect this, as they do not go to zero at the I-15 interchange in Murrieta.

The shared segment with State Route 60 is undergoing significant construction and widening, including complete reconstruction of the I-215/SR 60/SR 91 interchange in downtown Riverside and the addition of truck lanes and a truck interchange at the I-215/SR 60 split near Moreno Valley. Most recently, a joint project between Caltrans and SANBAG of San Bernardino County broke ground to widen the freeway from Highland Rd. all the way to Interstate 10 interchange, including the rebuild of all but one bridge (Rialto Ave.) over the freeway. Although this new project is being done largely during night, it is expected to be completed in 2011.[6]

Due to the fact that the I-215 designation was overlaid on existing freeways between the southern junction with SR-60 and the city of San Bernardino, the 60/91/215 interchange in the city of Riverside has been widely known for its confusing nature in respect to the numbering of I-215. While SR 60 continues east and west through this interchange, and SR 91 coninues south (and formerly north, the number having now been removed), the I-215 designation continues away from this interchange on SR 60 East and the former northern portion of SR 91 (now solely numbered I-215). Travellers following I-215 in either direction need to change freeways at this interchange, instead of following the through lanes.

[edit] Exit list

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
County Location Postmile
[7][8][9]		 #[10] Destinations Notes
Riverside
RIV R9.00-45.33		 Murrieta R9.00 I-15 south – San Diego Southbound exit and northbound entrance
R9.51 1 Murrieta Hot Springs Road
R10.65 2 Los Alamos Road
R12.51 4 Clinton Keith Road
R15.52 7 Scott Road
R18.52 10 Newport Road
R20.84 12 McCall Boulevard – Sun City
Perris 22.76 14 Ethanac Road
23.54 15 SR 74 east – Hemet South end of SR 74 overlap
26.31 17 SR 74 west (4th Street) – Lake Elsinore, Perris North end of SR 74 overlap
27.23 18 D Street Southbound exit and northbound entrance
R27.89 19 Nuevo Road
R30.93 22 Ramona Expressway, Cajalco Expressway
R32.33 23 Oleander Avenue
R34.17 25 Van Buren Boulevard
Moreno Valley R35.76 27A Cactus Avenue – March ARB, Moreno Valley, Arnold Heights Signed as exits 27A (east) and 27B (west) southbound
R36.42 27B Alessandro Boulevard Signed as exit 27C southbound
R37.44 28 Eucalyptus Avenue, Eastridge Avenue
Riverside R38.34 29 SR 60 east (Moreno Valley Freeway) – Beaumont, Indio South end of SR 60 overlap; traffic continuing southbound must take right-hand exit at this interchange
R38.92 30A Fair Isle Drive – Box Springs
39.48 30B Watkins Drive, Central Avenue
40.28 31 El Cerrito Drive (now closed, following completion of MLK ramps)
40.98 32A Martin Luther King Boulevard
41.49 32B University Avenue
42.16 33 3rd Street, Blaine Street
42.84 34A Spruce Street (Northbound entrance and exit possibly closed as result of 60/91/215 interchange redesign)
43.27 34B SR 91 west (Riverside Freeway) – Riverside, Beach Cities Northbound exit ramp relocated during 60/91/215 interchange redesign; Southbound lanes continue as SR-91 West; traffic continuing on I-215 South must take SR 60 East/I-215 South right-hand exit at this interchange
43.27 34A SR 60 west (Pomona Freeway) – Los Angeles North end of SR 60 overlap; signed as exit 34C southbound. Northbound lanes continue as SR 60 West; traffic continuing on I-215 North must take the second right-hand exit at this interchange.
43.90 35 Columbia Avenue
45.01 36 Center Street – Highgrove
San Bernardino
SBD 0.00-17.75		 Colton 0.40 37 La Cadena Drive, Iowa Avenue – Colton
Grand Terrace 1.31 38 Barton Road
Colton 2.69 39 Mount Vernon Avenue, Washington Street
4.05 40 I-10 (San Bernardino Freeway) – Redlands, Indio, Los Angeles Signed as exits 40A (east) and 40B (west) northbound
San Bernardino 5.03 41 Orange Show Road, Auto Plaza Drive
5.58 42A Inland Center Drive – Colton
6.06 42B Mill Street – SBD Airport
6.79 43 2nd Street, 3rd Street – San Bernardino Civic Center
7.18 44A SR 66 west (5th Street) – San Bernardino Civic Center Signed as exit 44 southbound
8.08 44B Base Line Street Signed as exit 45 southbound
8.60 45A To SR 210 east (SR 259) – Highland, Mountain Resorts Northbound exit and southbound entrance
9.03 45B Muscupiabe Drive Northbound exit only
9.36 46A To SR 210 west / Highland Avenue Southbound exit is via exit 46B
9.72 46B Mt. Vernon Avenue, 27th Street
10.05 46C SR 210 (Foothill Freeway) – Pasadena, Redlands Southbound exit and northbound entrance
11.63 48 University Parkway
14.09 50 Palm Avenue, Kendall Drive Former SR 206
17.32 54A Devore Road Signed as exit 54 southbound; former US 66
17.75 54B I-15 south Northbound exit and southbound entrance
17.75 I-15 north Northbound exit and southbound entrance

[edit] References

  1. ^ January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
  2. ^ CA Codes (shc:250-257)
  3. ^ CA Codes (shc:260-284)
  4. ^ 2007 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California. Caltrans, 60. Retrieved on 2007-03-28. 
  5. ^ Ib. at 63
  6. ^ SANBAG: Measure I Freeway Projects
  7. ^ California Department of Transportation, State Truck Route List (XLS file), accessed February 2008
  8. ^ California Department of Transportation, Log of Bridges on State Highways, July 2007
  9. ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006
  10. ^ California Department of Transportation, California Numbered Exit Uniform System, I-215 Northbound and I-215 Southbound, accessed February 2008

[edit] External links

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Auxiliary routes of Interstate 15
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Freeways in Greater Los Angeles
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