Chino presents Pine Avenue connector plan; Chino Hills authorizes letters of support

Chino officials on Tuesday outlined a revised plan for the Pine Avenue connector — a 1.3‑mile regional project to extend Pine Avenue from El Prado Road to State Route 71 — and urged coordination with Chino Hills as design moves forward. The Chino Hills City Council voted 5‑0 to authorize the city manager to issue letters of support for the project to facilitate grant applications with regional partners.

The City of Chino’s public works director and deputy director said the project has been in the planning books for roughly 15–20 years and that the design approach has pivoted from a large earth‑fill embankment to a raised bridge structure. Albert Espinosa, deputy public works director and city engineer for Chino, said the change responds to environmental and constructability concerns and will reduce truck traffic associated with importing fill material.

The pivot also reflects rising cost estimates: the Pine connector is now preliminarily estimated at about $140 million for construction, up from about $50 million in earlier estimates. Espinosa said construction‑phase cost for the SR‑71 interchange improvements is preliminarily estimated at $15 million. Both the connector and interchange will require full environmental impact reports (EIRs) rather than the previously considered mitigated negative declaration.

Why it matters: Council members from Chino Hills pressed presenters on local impacts — especially on the city’s southern neighborhoods — and on funding and jurisdictional issues. Daniel Bobadilla (Chino Hills staff) and Mayor Art Bennett asked how existing local streets would tie into a raised bridge and how flood‑inundation and El Prado dam elevations were being accommodated.

Chino staff said the bridge approach is being designed to sit above the 50‑year flood inundation elevation and that the Army Corps of Engineers and Caltrans will be partners during environmental review. The project team said it expects to select a new design consultant before the end of the calendar year and to complete design and environmental clearance for the Pine connector and SR‑71 interchange as early as fourth quarter 2028 if funding and approvals align. Euclid Avenue bridge work is ahead of schedule and could reach design and environmental completion by fourth quarter 2027, presenters said.

Concerns and next steps: Chino Hills council members voiced skepticism about building the Pine connector before resolving the Euclid flooding problem because Euclid regularly floods and currently offers few flood‑resilient alternatives. Council members also noted that much of the regional benefit would accrue to communities outside Chino Hills and pressed staff about the city’s financial commitment. City Manager Ben Montgomery said Chino Hills has a previous commitment of $4.2 million toward the project but that those funds have restrictions and that any future reallocation would be returned to council for direction.

SBCTA (San Bernardino County Transportation Authority) representatives and Chino staff said SBCTA is now a partner; staff described the project as regional and said having SBCTA involved should help with funding and oversight. Presenters also said the project could add active‑transportation elements (multiuse paths), improve emergency evacuation routes, and reduce traffic pressure on Soka Canyon and other arterials.

Council action: The council authorized the city manager to issue letters of support for future grant applications and regional coordination, with the explicit clarification from council members that such letters would be generic and not commit Chino Hills to additional funding without separate council action. The motion passed 5‑0.

Council members asked that Chino and Chino Hills continue joint public outreach during the EIR process, and presenters said community meetings in both cities are planned as the environmental review proceeds.

Ending: City staff said a number of details — including bridge geometry, exact ramp and lane additions at SR‑71, and final funding sources — will be defined during the design and EIR phases. Staff committed to continued coordination with Chino Hills on project priorities and to return to the council with updates and options for how existing local funds might be deployed.