DATE: 05/06/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
2026-142
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH RIVERSIDE COUNTY
TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
INTERSTATE 15 EXPRESS LANE PROJECT SOUTHERN EXTENSION
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the Memorandum of Understanding with Riverside County Transportation Commission for the construction of the Interstate 15 Express Lane Project Southern Extension.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council authorize the Mayor and City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Memorandum of Understanding with Riverside County Transportation Commission for the construction of the Interstate 15 Express Lane Project Southern Extension.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) in partnership with Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration, completed the Interstate 15 Express Lanes Project in 2021, which added two tolled express lanes to the I-15 in both directions between State Route 60 and Cajalco Road.
RCTC is moving forward with the Interstate 15 (I-5) Express Lanes Project – Southern Extension, which will extend the existing I‑ 15 Express Lanes southerly from Cajalco Road to State Route 74, approximately 15.8 miles. The Project includes construction of two new tolled express lanes in each direction within the existing freeway median, widening of up to 15 bridges, and the installation of toll collection, drainage, retaining wall, and noise barrier improvements as needed.
RCTC intends to deliver the Project using a Progressive Design‑Build (PDB) approach, under which planning, design, and construction will occur in phases as funding becomes available.
ANALYSIS:
The City and RCTC have prepared a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to define roles, responsibilities, and coordination protocols throughout Project design and construction. The MOU outlines how the City will review plans, process permits, participate in traffic and construction coordination, and ultimately accept completed facilities within City limits. It also establishes RCTC’s responsibilities for project delivery, environmental clearance, funding, construction oversight, and public outreach.
The proposed MOU formalizes coordination between RCTC and the City to ensure timely and efficient delivery of the I-15 Express Lanes Southern Extension. Under the agreement, the City commits to supporting the Project by performing timely plan reviews, attending design builder coordination meetings, issuing encroachment permits, and inspecting work within City jurisdiction. The MOU specifies required turn-round times for plan reviews (30 days) and permit processing (15 working days), helping to minimize schedule delays.
The MOU also acknowledges that RCTC is responsible for all project funding, environmental approvals, design, and construction activities. RCTC will ensure that any work occurring within City jurisdiction conforms to City standards and that impacted City facilities are restored at RCTC’s cost unless the work involves City requested betterments, which the City must fund.
RCTC must also coordinate with the City prior to street closures, maintain an emergency response plan, and include the City as an additional insured under the design builder’s contract.
The MOU protects both parties through mutual indemnification provisions and clearly delineates responsibilities during design, construction, and final acceptance. With no significant permanent impacts anticipated to City owned facilities, and with Project improvements occurring primarily within the State right of way, the MOU establishes a balanced framework for maintaining City oversight while enabling RCTC to efficiently deliver a regionally significant transportation project. The MOU has also been reviewed and approved by the City Attorney as to form.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
These actions are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Action (CEQA), as the actions are not a “project” as defined by CEQA (PRC Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15378), guidelines which define a “project” as the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or reasonable foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and that is an activity directly undertaking by any public agency including public works construction and related activities. These actions involve the approval of a Memorandum of Understanding.
Therefore, no environmental analysis is required at this time.
PREPARED BY: ROSALVA URENO, TRANSPORTATION MANAGER\CITY TRAFFIC
ENGINEER
REVIEWED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Memorandum of Understanding
2. Exhibit 2 – Location Map