I-15 Express Lanes Project Southern Extension (ELPSE)

The I-15 Express Lanes Project Southern Extension (ELPSE) is a transportation infrastructure initiative led by the Riverside County Transportation Commission in cooperation with Caltrans District 8, aimed at adding two tolled express lanes in both the northbound and southbound directions along approximately 15.8 miles of Interstate 15 in Riverside County, California. The project spans from State Route 74 in Lake Elsinore at post mile 22.3 to El Cerrito Road in Corona at post mile 38.1, with improvements confined entirely within the existing right-of-way, eliminating the need for new land acquisition. Work includes widening up to 15 bridges, constructing noise barriers and retaining walls, upgrading drainage systems, reconfiguring key ramps such as the Weirick Road off-ramp, installing electronic toll collection infrastructure and dynamic signage, and implementing advance signage and transition striping extending two miles beyond the corridor endpoints. The project is governed by the California Environmental Quality Act, with compliance ensured through a comprehensive set of environmental mitigation measures including air quality (AQ-5 to AQ-8), greenhouse gas emissions (GHG-1 to GHG-11), biological resources (NC-15 to NC-20), paleontological resources (PAL-1), and aquatic and oak tree protections. No federal acquisition regulation (FAR) contract clauses, pricing data, or traditional procurement elements such as evaluation factors, contract types, or invoicing systems are present in the documentation, indicating this is a state-led project in a pre-award or forecast stage. Funding for environmental filings is managed through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, with payments directed to Sacramento and completed using State Form CA25. Primary oversight is provided by Gita Tokhmafshan of Caltrans District 8 and Jeff Dietzler of the Riverside County Transportation Commission, who serve as the lead environmental and project administration contacts, respectively. Official project approvals were issued on December 3 and December 10, 2025, with documentation filed at Caltrans District 8 in San Bernardino and the Riverside County Clerk’s Office. Proposals for environmental review require both electronic submission and 15 hardcopies, including Environmental Impact Reports and Notices of Determination, but no formal bidding process or contractor selection criteria have been established yet.