The SR-71/SR-91 Interchange project in Corona, California, has earned an Award of Merit in Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) West Best Projects Awards. The project was recognized as one of the region’s outstanding construction projects for successfully delivering major infrastructure improvements in one of Southern California’s busiest and most constrained transportation corridors. As construction manager, FALCON, a CHA Company, provided comprehensive construction management and inspection services on behalf of the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC).
Located at a vital gateway shared by Riverside, Orange, and San Bernardino counties, the SR-71/SR-91 Interchange serves as a major hub for commuter and freight traffic. The project replaced an outdated loop connector with a new two-lane direct connector, added auxiliary lanes, and constructed two post-tensioned concrete box girder bridges totaling more than 3,500 feet. Construction also included retaining walls, temporary shoring systems, drainage improvements, and major utility relocations within a constrained corridor adjacent to active freeway traffic, rail lines, and the Santa Ana River.
Construction required some of the region’s largest cast-in-drilled-hole piles, measuring up to 15 feet in diameter and extending more than 100 feet below grade, as well as adaptations to unexpected subsurface conditions. As RCTC’s representative in the field, FALCON oversaw constructability reviews, daily inspections, interagency coordination, and quality, cost, and schedule management. By helping identify opportunities to merge construction stages and advance early work, FALCON contributed to reducing the overall construction schedule by approximately six months while maintaining traffic operations.
Read more about the SR-71/SR-91 Interchange Flyover.
ENR West’s Best Projects Awards recognize outstanding design and construction achievements throughout the region. The SR-71/SR-91 Interchange project’s Award of Merit recognizes the project team’s successful delivery of complex improvements at one of Southern California’s busiest freeway junctions. The project was submitted for the award by Skanska USA Civil West, which served as general contractor.
The honor follows the project’s recent 2026 Project Achievement Award from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Southern California Chapter.
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