By Dug Begley
Plans to redesign the Interstate 15/Interstate 215 interchange in Devore will get another look Thursday.
The interchange, a well-known bottleneck near where traffic enters and exits the Cajon Pass to the High Desert, is part of a $400 million project to widen I-15 and rebuild the ramps linking the two freeways.
“The Devore interchange is the worst traffic bottleneck on Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County,” said San Bernardino Associated Governments Executive Director Deborah Barmack.
A meeting hosted by Caltrans and SANBAG is scheduled in Devore. Visitors will be able to see maps and talk to engineers and planners about the proposed interchange.
It is the second public meeting to discuss the plans this year. In May, residents were skeptical about what widening the interstate would do to their small, rural community. Many said traffic noise already echoes off the mountains north of the area, and encouraging more traffic and cutting them off with a wider freeway could make it worse.
But officials said something must be done to relieve congestion in the area. More than 160,000 cars and trucks headed to and from Southern California pass through the area some days.
A fourth alternative for designing the freeway has been added to three other choices, following comments from residents in May.
All four options will be on display Thursday, officials said.