Crews begin finishing touches on Newport Interchange

Concrete signs northbound and southbound identify Newport Road as the primary off-ramp in Menifee. Menifee 24/7 photos

With the road surfaces and bridge construction virtually complete, crews are now working on landscaping around the looping on-ramps and the side of the Newport Road bridge to complete the Interstate 215 interchange.

Concrete signs reading "Menifee" have been placed in the middle of those loops heading northbound and southbound. Rocks are being placed as a facing of the bridge base and dirt is being graded. On the bridge itself, new street lights have been installed and the outer facing visible to motorists as they pass under the bridge includes acorn designs -- reflective of the city's oak tree as an iconic image.

City officials will celebrate completion of the $48.4 million project with a ribbon cutting ceremony held in the adjacent Countryside Marketplace March 28.

Mounds of soil bordering the southbound freeway on-ramp signal the start of landscaping.