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1 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN
RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
AND
THE CITY OF CORONA
FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE INTERSTATE 15 EXPRESS LANE PROJECT
SOUTHERN EXTENSION
This Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) is made and entered into this _____ day of _________, 2026 (“Effective Date”) by and between the Riverside County Transportation Commission (“RCTC”) and the City of Corona (“City”). RCTC and the City are sometimes referred to herein individually as “Party”, and collectively as “Parties”.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, RCTC is undertaking the construction of two new tolled express lanes in each direction in the median of Interstate 15 (I-15) from approximately Cajalco Road in the City of Corona to approximately State Route 74 (Central Avenue) in the City of Lake Elsinore for distance of approximately 15.8 miles, herein referred to as “Project”. The Project is further depicted in Exhibit A.
WHEREAS, the Project extends to the south of the existing I-15 Express Lanes which opened in 2021 and currently ends in the vicinity of Cajalco Road. The Project proposes the widening of up to 15 bridges; potential construction of noise barriers, retaining walls, and drainage systems; and implementation of electronic toll collection equipment and signs.
WHEREAS, the Project includes three toll zones in each direction, each approximately 5 miles in length, and are commonly referred to as “Segments”. The ingress and egress, into and out of the toll lanes respectively, is expected to be consistent with the existing I15 Express Lanes.
WHEREAS, no new permanent right-of-way is expected to be acquired as the Project is constructed entirely within the existing freeway right-of-way.
WHEREAS, no modification of any City owned facility is currently expected. The only expected impact to local city streets may be temporary impacts due to the inside widening of the existing State owned Weirick Road undercrossing bridge.
WHEREAS, RCTC intends to utilize the Progressive Design Build (PDB) approach to design and construct the Project in Segments as funding becomes available. The first Project Segment to be constructed and opened to traffic is referred to as the Initial Operating Segment and is expected to be the northerly most toll segment, with the southerly limits at approximately the Indian Truck Trail interchange. 17336.01114\42688907.2
WHEREAS, the Parties acknowledge that RCTC has or shall fully comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and all other applicable laws, as a precondition to construction of the Project.
WHEREAS, it is the intent of the Parties to enter into this MOU to establish and coordinate the responsibilities of the Parties with respect to the Project, establish certain opportunities for cooperation and coordination and set forth various responsibilities of the Parties all as further set forth herein.
NOW THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, it is mutually understood and agreed by RCTC and the City as follows:
TERMS
1. Definitions. In addition to the definitions set forth in the recitals above, the following terms shall have the meanings as set forth below.
1.1 As used in this MOU, The term “PDB Phase 1” shall refer to the period of time in which RCTC and the design builder are developing preliminary design and mutually negotiating the cost for the final design and construction. PDB Phase 1 may cover the entire Project or segments therein.
1.2 As used in this MOU, The term “PDB Phase 2” shall refer to the period in which RCTC and the design-builder are developing final design and constructing the project. PDB Phase 2 may cover the entire Project or segments therein.
1.3 As used in this MOU, the term “City’s Jurisdiction” shall mean and refer to the areas within the Project limits either owned and/or maintained by the City. As used herein, the term “City’s Jurisdiction” expressly excludes the State highway and Riverside County owned right of way.
1.4 As used in this MOU, the term “City Standards” shall mean and refer to the City’s standard plans, specifications, policies, guidelines, and ordinances, design criteria, construction details, and testing/inspection requirements, and amendments and supplements thereto, for work within the City’s Jurisdiction, approved by the City and in effect six months prior to execution of any PDB Phase 2 contract between RCTC and the design-builder.
2. Term. This MOU shall be effective as of the date first set forth above, and shall continue in effect until the Project is completed and accepted by RCTC, as will be further defined in the RCTC and design-builder PDB Phase 2 contract, unless otherwise terminated as specified in this MOU (“Term”).
3. Agreement to Cooperate. The Parties agree to mutually cooperate in order to help ensure that the Project is successfully completed with minimum impact to both Parties, and the City commits to support the Project. The Parties will coordinate any 17336.01114\42688907.2
concurrent construction projects occurring during the PDB Phase 2 period to minimize impacts to both parties.
4. Additional Improvements Requested by City. If the City requests additional improvements to City owned facilities within the Project limits, the Parties will mutually cooperate to incorporate the improvements to the extent reasonable without doing harm to the Project. The City may be responsible for environmental approvals and will pay for all costs of any City requested betterment outside of RCTC’s Project scope as defined in the approved final Project Report. RCTC has the sole discretion of approving the addition of any City requested improvements into the Project.
5. Obligations of the City. If consistent with all applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations, the City agrees as follows:
5.1 The City shall process all plan review requests in a timely manner..
The City shall timely review design plans for Project work, if any, to be completed within the City’s Jurisdiction, and provide any approvals or comments within thirty (30) days of receipt of the plans. No design or construction within the City’s Jurisdiction shall be deemed approved until written concurrence is provided by the City Engineer. The City shall inspect the Project work completed within the City’s Jurisdiction upon written notice of completion of the work by RCTC to the City, and shall provide approval or identify any punch list work per the terms of the City issued encroachment permit.
5.2 The City shall process all permit requests in a timely manner. Any waiver of City fees shall be subject to mutual written agreement between the City and RCTC. Encroachment permits shall be processed in no more than fifteen (15) working days after receipt of a complete encroachment permit application from the design-builder.
The City shall not issue any encroachment permits to any other contractors if the proposed work thereunder has the potential to delay or impact the Project, without first coordinating the same with the design-builder and RCTC.
5.3 The City shall have appropriate representatives regularly attend meetings of the design-builder’s task forces formed for public information, traffic management and detours, and related construction work impacting the City, and shall provide input at such meetings related to Project work that may impact City residents. The City will not charge RCTC for the above listed activities in this Section 5.3.
5.4 The City should retain the ability to recover actual costs associated with staff time, inspections, and administrative oversight associated with City issued encroachment permits.
5.5 Waiver of street trenching restrictions shall apply only to work directly related to the Project and shall remain subject to City review and approval of restoration methods.
5.6 Following completion of the Project work within the City’s Jurisdiction and prior to final acceptance thereof, the City shall timely review and provide approval of 17336.01114\42688907.2
the work or identify any punch list work within fifteen (15) days from the written request for the final inspection. The City shall assume responsibility for the Project facilities completed within the City’s Jurisdiction upon final acceptance of the work by RCTC and shall be solely responsible and liable for the operation, maintenance and use of, including all subsequent public use of such Project facilities, at no cost or expense to RCTC.
5.7 The City will make its best efforts to perform all obligations of the City related to the Project in such a manner as to allow the Project to progress as scheduled.
6. Obligations of RCTC.
6.1 RCTC shall be responsible for providing all services to complete the Project, or as reasonably necessary for Project completion and for obtaining all applicable environmental approvals and permits necessary to complete the Project, other than that mutually agreed upon additional improvements under Section 4.
6.2 RCTC shall be responsible for providing all funding for the Project, other than that mutually agreed upon additional improvements under Section 4.
6.3 RCTC shall be responsible for the process of selecting the designbuilder in compliance with all applicable local, state and federal laws and allow a representative for the City to participate in the selection process.
6.4 RCTC shall construct any Project work within the City’s Jurisdiction, including work under Section 4, to the City Standards that will be defined in the contract between RCTC and its design-builder.
6.5 RCTC shall provide the City an opportunity to inspect the Project work within City’s Jurisdiction during construction as part of the Project, per the associated City issued encroachment permit. RCTC shall bear all costs for restoration or reconstruction of existing City facilities impacted by the Project pursuant to the City issued encroachment permit. The City shall only be responsible for the cost of optional betterments it specifically requests.
6.6 RCTC shall require its design-builder to obtain all required permits and approvals from the City for construction of any Project work within the City’s Jurisdiction. RCTC shall coordinate with the City to ensure all required City permits and approvals are addressed prior to construction
6.7 RCTC shall include, in its contract with the design-builder, a requirement that the design-builder include the City as an additional insured and as an indemnified party under said agreement, in accordance with the requirements of the City issued encroachment permit.
6.8 RCTC shall include, in its contract with the design-builder, a requirement that the design-builder repair any damage caused by its operations to Weirick Road between the on and off ramp termini with Weirick Road. 17336.01114\42688907.2
6.9 Except in the case of an unforeseen circumstance, RCTC shall require its design-builder to provide at least a fifteen (15) day notification to City prior to any full or partial closure of any streets within City’s Jurisdiction exceeding one (1) day in duration. Short-term closures of less than one (1) day in duration shall require seventytwo (72) hours prior notice.
6.10 RCTC will institute a public outreach campaign to keep emergency responders, School District transportation department, transit operators, the residents of the City and the general public apprised of the Project work, and any street closures and other impacts to use of City right of way that may result from the Project. In addition, RCTC shall develop and maintain a written Emergency Response plan that includes emergency contact information for RCTC’s design-builder, County of Riverside, City of Corona emergency responders and design-builder personnel that would be expected to respond to an emergency situation.
7. Mutual Agreement
7.1 The Parties agree that PDB nature of the project results in the project being designed and constructed in segments, or its entirety, as funding becomes available.
7.2 The Parties agree that the express lane access locations as depicted in the draft environmental document publicly circulated on October 9, 2024 are preliminary and subject to change during preliminary and final design. Final express lane access locations are at the sole discretion of RCTC and in accordance with all applicable design standards.
7.3 The Parties agree that currently there are no known additional improvements or reconstruction of any City owned facilities within City’s Jurisdiction.
7.4 Other than reviews related to final inspection and City Acceptance of the Project facilities within the City's Jurisdiction, the Parties agree that RCTC shall be the party responsible for conducting reviews of the Contractor's designs and plans, and for performance of any required field inspections to document that the work performed conforms to City Standards. RCTC shall provide the City copies of all design plans for improvements within City's Jurisdiction, for review and comment during development by the Contractor of the final design for the Project. Approval of the Contractor's designs and plans shall remain within the sole discretion of RCTC.
8. Indemnification.
8.1 RCTC shall indemnify, defend and hold the City, its directors, officials, officers, employees, agents, consultants and design-builders free and harmless from any and all claims, demands, causes of action, costs, expenses, liabilities, losses, damages or injuries, in law or in equity, to property or persons, including wrongful death, in any manner arising out of or incident to any negligent acts, omissions or breach of law, or willful misconduct of RCTC, its officials, officers, employees, agents, consultants or design- 17336.01114\42688907.2
builders in the performance of RCTC’s obligations under this MOU, including the payment of all reasonable attorneys’ fees.
8.2 The City shall indemnify, defend and hold RCTC, its directors, officials, officers, employees, agents, consultants and design-builders free and harmless from any and all claims, demands, causes of action, costs, expenses, liabilities, losses, damages or injuries, in law or in equity, to property or persons, including wrongful death, in any manner arising out of or incident to any negligent acts, omissions or breach of law, or willful misconduct of the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, consultants or design-builders in the performance of the City’s obligations under this MOU, including the payment of all reasonable attorneys’ fees.
8.3 The indemnification provisions set forth in this Section 8 shall survive any expiration or termination of this MOU.
9. Delivery of Notices. All notices permitted or required under this MOU shall be given to the respective Parties at the following address, or at such other address as the respective Parties may provide in writing for this purpose:
CITY:
City of Corona
400 South Vicentia Ave
Corona, CA 92882
Attn: Public Works Director
COMMISSION:
Riverside County Transportation Commission
4080 Lemon Street, 3rd Floor
Riverside, CA 92501
Attn: Executive Director
Such notice shall be deemed made when personally delivered, electronically delivered to the persons identified above provided that receipt of such electronic delivery is confirmed to the sending Party by the receiving Party, or when mailed, forty-eight (48) hours after deposit in the U.S. Mail, first class postage prepaid and addressed to the Party at its applicable address. Actual notice shall be deemed adequate notice on the date actual notice occurred, regardless of the method of service.
10. Counterparts. This MOU may be signed in counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original.
11. Electronically Transmitted Signatures; Electronic Signatures. A manually signed copy of this MOU which is transmitted by facsimile, email or other means of electronic transmission shall be deemed to have the same legal effect as delivery of an 17336.01114\42688907.2
original executed copy of this MOU for all purposes. This MOU may be signed using an electronic signature.
SIGNATURE PAGE
TO
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Memorandum of Understanding on the date first herein above written.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
By:
Aaron Hake, Executive Director
Approved as to Form:
By: _________________________
Best Best & Krieger LLP
General Counsel
CITY OF CORONA
Approved by the
City Council
By:
Jacque Casillas
Mayor
Recommended for approval:
By:
Savat Khamphou
Public Works Director
ATTEST:
By:
Syliva Edwards
City Clerk (SEAL)
Approved as to Form:
City Attorney
By:
Dean Derleth, City Attorney
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EXHIBIT “A”
As depicted in Figure 1, the proposed Project will construct two new tolled express lanes in each direction in the median of Interstate 15, extending to the south the existing I-15 Express Lanes that opened in 2021, from approximately Cajalco Road in Corona to approximately State Route 74 in the City of Lake Elsinore, approximately 15.8 miles. The Work will take place in the Cities of Corona, Lake Elsinore and the County of Riverside.
The Express Lane toll zones, also referred to as segments, are depicted in Figure 2.
The first construction segment, referred to as the Initial Operating Segment, is expected to be Segment 1.
Figure 1
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Figure 2