Cal State San Bernardino, state, regional and city officials, along with university staff, faculty, and area residents joined together May 1 to officially celebrate the completion of the improved University Parkway-Interstate 15 interchange on the lawn next to the campus’ Performing Arts Center.

The ceremonial ribbon cutting took place about a mile from the interchange, which is a major gateway for students, faculty and staff at CSUSB, along with residents and others using the busy University Parkway corridor.

“Thousands of students, faculty, and staff, and community members travel through this corridor every day,” Samuel Sudhakar, CSUSB chief financial officer and vice president, finance, technology and operations. “The improvements being celebrated today will significantly enhance safety, reduce congestion, and support continued growth of both campus and the surrounding community.”

Called a diverging diamond interchange, or “DDI”, it is the first of its kind in the region, according to the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SCTBA), which worked with Caltrans and the city of San Bernardino since November 2024 to reconfigure the interchange.

Catalino Pining, Caltrans District 8 director said the interchange is different from traditional freeway interchanges in California. “But that difference is exactly what makes it so effective,” he said. “By temporarily shifting traffic to the opposite side of the road, the design allows for smoother, more efficient left turns onto freeway ramps, reduces the number of conflict points, and significantly improves overall traffic flow.

“For a location like this, serving a major university, a growing community, and a high volume of daily commuters, the DDI design helps us do more with infrastructure we already have,” Pining said. “It reduces congestion, improves travel times, and most importantly, enhances safety for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.”

Both San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran and SCBTA President Rick Denison thanked the community for its patience during the construction, which included two full closures of the interchange earlier this year.

Thank you to the students, faculty, and staff at Cal State San Bernardino, as well as area residents,” Tran said. “Your patience – again, patience – pays off, and that's exactly what happened with this project.”

“We create disruption sometimes as we move innovation forward to make solutions for the challenges that we have day to day,” Denison said. "And I want to say thank you to everyone that either lives, works or enjoys recreation in San Bernardino County. We appreciate your patience as we move forward on these items.”

For more information on the project, visit the SBCTA website for the I-215 University Parkway project. Also, visit the SCBTA Plan. Build. Move webpage on future transportation improvement projects in the region and follow the Caltrans8 Instagram page for current and upcoming construction and other news for commuters.