Funding approved for City Capital Improvement Projects

Crews work to install traffic lights at Menifee Road and Holland Road -- one of the current budget year projects. Staff photo by Doug Spoon

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Current and projected funding for major road improvements were among the items addressed last week when the Menifee City Council unanimously approved the City’s Five-Year Capital Improvement Program.

Such a program is required by law. Menifee’s five-year program details the budget and priority levels for major infrastructure projects in six categories:

-- Traffic signal projects
-- Street improvement projects
-- Draining projects
-- Public facility buildings
-- Community Services projects (parks and trails)

The CIP document for the 2020-21 fiscal year includes plans and budgeting for the following transportation projects:

-- Holland Road Overpass
-- Bradley Bridge over Salt Creek
-- McCall Boulevard freeway interchange
-- Garbani Road freeway interchange
-- Paloma Wash pedestrian bridge

Including these projects on the upcoming year’s budget does not necessarily mean they will be started during that time period, explained Jonathan Smith, city engineer and director of public works. These are, however, priority projects for which planning has begun and at least some funding has been budgeted. According to the CIP document, a total of nearly $6.1 million has budgeted to go toward the five transportation projects.

Of that amount, $3.18 million will be budgeted for the Holland Road Road Overpass – a bridge that will provide a means of crossing over the 215 Freeway between the Newport Road and Scott Road interchanges. That will bring the total funding for the project to $17.65 million – roughly 62 percent of the estimated project total of $28.76 million.

The five-year CIP calls for additional funding allocations of $5.4 million in 2021-22 and $4.07 million in 2022-23, with an additional $1.65 million needed in future years, according to the CIP document. The target start date of construction is December 2021. However, no estimate of funding from Measure DD is listed beyond the 2020-21 fiscal year, in which $567,000 is budget for that project, so funding could greatly increase in future years.

An additional $444,000 is budgeted to go toward the Bradley Road project, which will construct a bridge over Salt Creek – an area that floods during heavy rains. That will bring the total funding to $1.75 million for the $10.9 million project. Its projected start date is July 2023.

There is no projected start date yet for the expansion of the McCall Boulevard freeway bridge from four lanes to six. Estimated cost of the project is $35.2 million, with only $852,000 budgeted through the next fiscal year.

Another long-range project is an additional freeway interchange at Garbani Road. More than $229,000 has been allocated to that project so far, with an additional $662,000 budgeted for the coming year to help fund a preliminary project study report.

Nearly $1.1 million has been budgeted for the coming year to go toward the pedestrian bridge that will pass over Paloma Wash, connecting the Menifee Marketplace commercial center on Haun Road with Menifee Town Center - in which construction of a hotel is underway, a park and some housing projects are complete, and future plans include a theater, courthouse and other commercial and civic sites.

Also included with funding in the $16 million 2020-21 fiscal year CIP budget are the following:

Four traffic signal projects:
- Menifee Road and La Piedra Road
- Murrieta Road and Sun City Boulevard
- Murrieta Road and Rouse Road
- Menifee Road and Garbani Road

Seven street improvement projects:
- Murrieta Road resurfacing (McCall Boulevard to Salt Creek)
- Scott Road and Menifee Road missing sidewalk
- Adams Avenue – Phase 2 (3rd Avenue to Watson Road)
- Leon Road and Scott Road intersection improvements
- Hillpointe Community street resurfacing
- McCall Boulevard (Encanto Drive to Antelope Road)
- Haun Road bus shelter

Three facilities projects:
- Fire Station 68 interior improvements
- New Fire Station 5: Design
- New City Hall at Town Center Property: Feasibility Study Update

Ten Community Services projects:
- Park amenity enhancements
- Irrigation upgrades and control system
- Evans Park design/construction
- Park lighting
- Sports field lighting
- IT network upgrades
- Central Park amenities
- Trails connectivity and enhancements
- Sports court resurfacing
- Shade structures

Further details of the Five-Year CIP document can be viewed by downloading the agenda for the June 17 City Council meeting, which can be found here.