City Officials Outline Road Improvement Projects, Schedule

Story makes corrections to properly identify the participants and their attributed contents. Dozens of concerned residents gathered at Me...


Story makes corrections to properly identify the participants and their attributed contents.

Dozens of concerned residents gathered at Menifee City Hall on Tuesday evening for a special public works workshop intended to educate the City Council and public about upcoming road improvement projects slated to begin as early as late 2013 and extend into winter 2017.

Visitors were given a packet of information upon arrival. After Interim City Manager Rob Johnson briefed council members on the upcoming road projects, he turned the program over to Shawn Nelson, executive consultant to the City Council, and Acting City Engineer Jonathan Smith.

Following a brief public comments section that mostly found residents extolling traffic woes at various heavy-use spots throughout the city, Nelson and Smith jumped right into the business of what the projects will entail.

Of all the scheduled road improvements (see above chart), the project most eagerly awaited and generally regarded by residents as most necessary -- the planned Holland Road overpass -- will be the last project completed. Proposed start date for the project is spring 2016, with a winter 2017 completion date.

When pressed by Councilman John Denver as to why the Holland Road overpass project is last on the timeline, Nelson said the plans have been prioritized based upon need, available funding and project readiness.

The Newport Widening Project, which will widen Newport Road between Menifee Road and Antelope Road approaching Interstate 215, has already been fully designed and funded and will go out to bid in June. Next on the timeline, because of project readiness and available funding, is the Newport Road Freeway Interchange project.

Most of the projects have already completed the preliminary design phase and have funding allocated to them. In the case of the Holland Road overpass, however, there is still some funding that must be acquired from the federal government in order to pay for the project through to its completion.

The list of projects also includes construction of the "missing link" of Menifee Road, completing its long-awaited path north from Aldergate Drive to Simpson Road. This project is listed as "developer driven," meaning the $4 million cost can come from developer fees. It has no completion date and apparently will depend on the timeline for a developer to build on the adjoining land, necessitating the access road. It could be as early as 2014.

All projects will be worked on simultaneously. Though they may not necessarily be in the construction phase at the same time, all projects will be in some phase of the improvement process over the next five years -- planning, design or actual construction. All projects will be paid for by a mixture of county, state and federal funds, as well as some developer fees.

None will require revenue from the city’s General Fund or cause the fund to incur new debt. There were mixed responses from the public at this information, particularly when it was revealed that the estimated total cost for all projects is $69 million.

Council members seem to be working cohesively throughout this process, often being in agreement with regards to budgetary questions, concerns and comments. A major theme throughout the workshop was one of teamwork between the council and associated staff. Several council members thanked Nelson, Smith and the council staff for their work in compiling the data and presenting it to the public.

Nelson, in return, gave an impassioned speech about how the City of Menifee has given him a fresh, new outlook on his professional life after leaving Temecula’s Public Works Division one year ago amidst “mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion.” This elicited a long, loud applause from the public.

Mayor Scott Mann echoed the uniqueness of Menifee’s position as a new city undertaking such dynamic change.

“We did something tonight that Temecula and Murrieta can’t do: We have construction dates, and (anticipated) completion dates," he said. "Once these projects are finished, we will be below 100 percent capacity for traffic circulation, and that stays true through the build-out of our current general plan.”

The next workshop is scheduled for June 4, to discuss the operating and Capital Improvement Project budget. The public is encouraged to attend and to provide public comment. Additional information is available by contacting the city directly at www.cityofmenifee.com or 951-672-6777.


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  1. Holland Road Start date 2016??? Really? Thats 3 years away!

    I remember articles in Menifee 24/7, campaign forums and campaign material mailed to my home where we as citizens were told by now elected officials that Holland Road overpass was their (Mann and Edgerton) 1st priority.
    I drive my children to Paloma Valley HS everyday and deal with bad and unsafe traffic conditions on Scott and Newport Road overpasses.
    I made an uniformed decision when I followed the promises made by our current leaders.

    2016! Ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It got them elected didn't it?

      Delete
    2. Oh Boo Hoo! 3 years away, Really? The city at least has a time table on the Holland Rd project, THAT"S PROGRESS. Think about it for a moment, if they started the Holland Rd OP TODAY, it would take at least 3 years from right now to finish. I guess there are some here in Menifee who will never be satisfied.

      Delete
    3. If it takes 3 years to build that puts it 6 years away by your math. Whats your point,that it doesn't matter what they said to get elected?

      Delete
    4. They are satisfying their campaign commitments by providing a timetable. What, because Holland OP won't be finished tomorrow, you're going to blame Mann & Edgerton?

      Get a grip, they don't have a magic wand to wave to satisfy those with little patience. I was just trying to provide a little common sense to the time table.

      Delete
    5. They certainly did lead voters to believe they could push Holland road ahead of other projects.In reality they are only paying "lip service", talking about it but doing little,much the same as Mann and his stance on homelessness.

      Delete
  2. Wait a minute!
    Mr. Spoon, you conducted the candidate forum.
    Edgerton and Mann both told you that if elected they
    would BUILD HOLLAND BRIDGE FIRST. Was that a lie?

    ReplyDelete
  3. My opinion: They said it was their priority. That's great. It doesn't mean it will happen when they want it to. Funding and regulations come into play. They would build Holland Bridge first? That's wonderful, but they are part of a group of people. They themselves are not building it. All the road improvements need to happen along with some that aren't even on the list.

    While we are all waiting for that magical money tree to grow, let's all do something together to ease traffic. If every driver would actually follow the traffic laws, traffic would actually ease up. No right on red during certain times. Don't enter an intersection unless you can safely cross and not block the intersection. Red light means you don't go through it.

    Remember, it takes more than one person to fix things. One politician cannot do things alone. One driver cannot ease traffic.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Never trust a politician! Honestly, they'll say anything to get elected. I heard with my own ears that Holland overpass was going to be first priority. Its now last on the list. Disturbing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. An excerpt from another reporter:
      The irony is that many of the elements presented this week were basically the same that defeated candidates Darcy Kuenzi, Sue Kristjansson and Bill Zimmerman, hit on during the campaign last fall.
      What say you now, wise voters?

      Delete
    2. Disturbing? "It's now last on the list." When was Holland OP 1st on the list? Newport/215 and Scott Rd/215 have been on the drawing board for years, Holland OP is the newest project to be planned. Do you all really think the city is in charge of these projects? Every one of these projects are controlled by Cal Trans and Riverside County.

      You are correct, Holland Rd would be the first priority of Menifee, because Newport and Scott were already planned and funds appropriated. So Holland is the next priority to face this same process.

      Do any of you do your homework before you comment, please exercise a little common sense.

      Delete
    3. The campaign promise by Mann and Edgerton was to take money from Newport and move it to Holland "to build Holland first". Those were their words.

      Delete
  5. What then was the purpose of Mann and Edgerton in their campaign for election comments? Did common sense prevail then? The issue here is not about the already determined schedule of the projects,but what those two lead everyone to believe they could do about it. Doing a little homework is indeed good advice.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What kind of interest can be earned if we do NOT spend the $85M dollars on other street projects? Seems about 2M a year or more. I say you can not afford the construction mess on Newport without a Holland solution -- so NO to the much needed expansion of Newport Rd and bridge UNTIL we have alternate access east/west.

    The CITY leaders are not powerless. They can choose to NOT contribute to the Newport improvements unless HOLLAND is part of the OVERALL county plan. It is the only viable detour during construction delays. Just say NO city $$ to county projects without a viable east west alternative. PERIOD. JUST say NO. Residents, school children, local consumers do NOT need to make transportation easier for traffic flowing THRU our city at the direct expense of commuter delays within Menifee. Don't spend the money on county projects until your own house is in order. Put it in the bank and let the interest earned help move Holland forward.

    Do not accept this plan. The overpass was more important than all other project expenditures, like resurfacing streets, the Holland to Canyon Hills schools. Don't let the school district send our kids out of town instead of fixing our schools and roadways...how about that for a solution.

    There is no leadership in Menifee if the leaders are only signing off on county projects or cal trans priorities. The whole point of being a city was that we get to spend money and make decisions that are BEST for Menifee.

    How long does it take you to drop your kids at school, or Wheatfield round trip NOW? Can you imagine the extra delays during construction? The gridlock alone will cause accidents and tempers to flare.

    ReplyDelete

Readers are invited to leave a comment to contribute to public dialogue. Comments will be reviewed by a moderator and will not be approved if they include profanity, defamatory or libelous comments, or may otherwise be considered objectionable by Menifee 24/7 editors.

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