Transportation in the Inland Empire

Many of the existing freeways in Southern California's Inland Empire were completed in the late 1970s. The only exception is the segment of the Foothill Freeway, State Route 210 (SR 210) between San Dimas and San Bernardino, completed in July 2007. In general, most of the higher paying jobs are located in Los Angeles and Orange County. Thus, workers must commute daily up to two hours in each direction on the existing network. As the population increases, traffic congestion is also projected to increase. In 2007, Forbes magazine ranked the area first in its list of America's most unhealthy commutes, beating every other major metropolitan area in the country, as Inland area drivers breathe the unhealthiest air and have the highest rate of fatal auto accidents per capita.[1]

Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Bernardino, a hub for rail traffic in the Inland Empire.

Freeway system

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Foothill Freeway
 
I-10, 215 Interchange traffic towards downtown San Bernardino.

The Inland Empire is crossed by two interstates and several major state highways. Although major freeway construction was finished years ago (except for the recent completion of SR 210 from Fontana to San Bernardino), growth in the region has strained the freeway system. As a result, several major projects have recently been completed or are underway on freeways throughout the region. Examples include the 60/215/91 interchange and widening of I-10 through Redlands as well as the currently ongoing widening of I-215 through Downtown San Bernardino into the city's University District.

Public transportation

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Downtown San Bernardino's Civic Center Station on the rapid transit sbX's Green Line. This station is the northernmost downtown station located on Court Street, near Court Street Square and the Entertainment District's Theatre Square. Downtown San Bernardino's Hunts Lane Station on the rapid transit sbX's Green Line. The station is the southernmost downtown station located on Hunts Lane, near the San Bernardino Hall of Records.

Airports

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Three major airports serve the Inland Empire: Ontario, Palm Springs, and San Bernardino. However, there are many general aviation airports across the region.

Airport IATA code ICAO code County
Ontario International Airport ONT KONT San Bernardino
Palm Springs International Airport PSP KPSP Riverside
San Bernardino International Airport SBD KSBD San Bernardino

References

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  1. ^ Van Dusen, Alison (2007-11-26). "America's Unhealthy Commutes". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
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