I got some more information on the Newport Road realignment project after speaking with George Wentz, our city manager.

Wenzt has been talking with Juan Perez with the county transportation department, and with the developer of Audie Murphy Ranch to come up with a way to improve traffic flow along Newport Rd and Goetz Rd, at least on temporary basis.

Refer to the diagram below.


Click to see larger image (opens new window)

The plan works like this...

• The existing Newport Rd will be renamed to Normandy Road, and will run both ways, eastbound and westbound.



• The realigned portion of Newport Rd will run one-way, heading eastbound. If you're coming from the I-15, you can take this road into Menifee.



• The Goetz Rd bridge will only accomodate southbound traffic. It will no longer support northbound traffic. This is because in order to open up the realigned Newport Rd, the bridge would have to be totally rebuilt, and there isn't enough money for that right now.
  
  
• The existing Goetz Rd will run southbound from Normandy Rd to the realigned Newport Rd. However, it will run northbound only from the Canyon Lake East Gate on up.



• Normandy Rd will end at Berea Rd. You'll have to jump on Berea Rd, and then turn on the realigned Newport Rd to get into Menifee.

Wentz said they are working a revised plan that will actually extend Normandy Rd into the realigned Newport Rd, so that we won't have to take Berea Rd. But this isn't final.

Apparently, the city has enough TUMF funds to put this "temporary solution" in place, and therefore, is moving forward on it. At very earliest, we might see this in place within six months.

If put in place, it will remain that way for about 2 or 3 years, maybe even longer, at least until the city collects enough money to make all roads bidirectional, or if the developer decides Audie Murphy Ranch is economically feasible to continue building.

Since this plan only makes the realigned Newport Rd one-way, I asked Wentz why not just leave the existing traffic flow untouched as it is now, until they have the money to make it bidirectional. He said that he thinks this temporary plan illustrated above will actually improve traffic from what we have now.

I think for most of Menifee, this plan will work fine, except for those people who live in the Menifee Hills development (off of La Ladera Rd). For them, if they're coming from the I-15, they won't be able to take Goetz Rd to Normandy Rd. Instead, they'll have to take realigned Newport Rd to Berea Rd, and head west on Normandy Rd. It's more of a pain, but not still not a long drive.

Labels: Audie-Murphy-Ranch, Goetz-Road, Newport-Road

The last month, an anonymous commenter was updating us with his/her correspondence with the County on the Newport Rd realignment. The last comment stated what many of us had heard, that Audie Murphy Homes, LLC has abandoned the project and walked away from it.

Last week, the Friday Flyer, a newspaper in Canyon Lake, confirmed it...

...the developers of Audie Murphy Ranch have pulled out of the project due to financial reasons and will not complete the remainder of the road improvements required by the county, leaving realigned Newport Rd. approximately 80 percent complete and unable to be opened in its current state.

So what will the new City of Menifee do about this?

We still want the Newport Rd realignment.

I don't think Menifee has the money for this. Neither does Canyon Lake. We were counting on the developer to pay for it.

I wonder if there's a way to get Measure A funds from the State.

Labels: Audie-Murphy-Ranch, Newport-Road

Originally we said that the realigned Newport Rd was to open around the end of August, and here we are in October and it still hasn't happened.

The delay is due to a utility pole sitting in the middle of the gutter. You can see this pole on the side where WalGreens is. They can't open up this road until they move the utility pole. I don't know when that's going to happen.

Meanwhile, the Friday Flyer reports today that the planned closure of Goetz Rd has been moved back until Spring of 2008. This closure was scheduled to construct a new bridge over Salt Creek, right where it spills into Canyon Lake...

The revised schedule will allow for the full opening of all lanes on realigned Newport Rd. prior to any work beginning on Goetz Rd. It is estimated that Goetz Rd. will be impacted for approximately one year while a bridge is constructed to help alleviate flooding. However with all lanes open on Newport Rd., the work will require only a detour and not a full closure, according to Dennis Chapman of Brookfield Homes, one of two developers for the Audie Murphy Ranch project.

Read the full article...
http://www.thefridayflyer.com/FF-2007-10-5/FFS-7829.htm

Labels: Audie-Murphy-Ranch, Goetz-Road, Newport-Road

The word I'm getting is that the realigned Newport Road is still on schedule to open THIS month, but towards the end.

This is according to a friend of mine who's doing construction work at the site.

He also provided this photo for me...



This is looking down Newport Road towards the west (towards Canyon Lake), and taken from the intersection of Newport Road and Berea Road. I'm not sure if Berea Road will still be called that within Audie Murphy Ranch.

However, when the realigned Newport Road opens this month, it won't be 100% open. That is, only the southern half of the lanes will be open. The realigned Newport Road is supposed to have four lanes, two going west, and two going east. When it opens, only the eastbound lanes will be open. But that doesn't mean you can only drive east. They'll split it into westbound and eastbound, one lane each way. It'll take awhile longer until they open the full Newport Road.

The reason for only opening the eastbound half, is because crews still need to use the westbound half for heavy equipment, as they still have to create pads on that side of the road.

At the time this photograph was taken (August 1), crews were still laying gravel on the road. The gravel comes from the boulders they had to dig out of the fields. They have a rock crusher back in there.

Labels: Audie-Murphy-Ranch, Newport-Road

The Californian reports today that the portion of Newport Rd that runs between Murrieta Road and Goetz Road will be renamed to Normandy Road...

The western piece of Newport Road is being realigned into Railroad Canyon Road, but the existing section between Goetz and Berea roads will remain as an alternative route between Quail Valley and Sun City. That segment that will be called Normandy Road.

I don't know the significance of "Normandy" as it relates to Menifee. Perhaps there is a historical connection, since many of the major thoroughfares in Menifee are named after Menifee pioneers.

Perhaps a local history buff here can Post a Comment and shed some light.

Labels: Newport-Road

A week ago, I posted a notice that the eastbound lanes of the realigned Newport Road will open up this July.

A source of mine who's working in the Audie Murphy Ranch project assures me it won't happen at least until August.

Labels: Audie-Murphy-Ranch, Newport-Road

Yesterday, Cal Trans was installing No Stopping Any Time Signs on Newport Rd from Brea Rd to Goetz Rd. If you noticed, you will also see that some of the Day Laborers have moved to the area that the water flows over Newport Road. There were still some sitting on the dirt where it says, "No Stopping Any Time." Maybe they should have put it in Spanish also.

Labels: Day-Laborers, Newport-Road

I got this from the Californian this morning:

The original goal was to have the eastbound lanes of a relocated Newport Road between Canyon Lake and Sun City open in March.

Now, developers building the Audie Murphy Ranch subdivision at the crossroads of Sun City, Canyon Lake and Quail Valley anticipate those lanes will open in July. The westbound lanes should open by December, said Ken Hauck, director of land development for Woodside Homes, one of two builders.

Read the full article here...
http://www.nctimes.com/..../4_03_015_7_07.txt

Labels: Audie-Murphy-Ranch, Newport-Road

A anonymous writer submitted a comment to us asking us about the illegal aliens waiting for work along Newport Road and La Ladera Road...

Just wondering if anyone alse sees the problem with illegal immigrants lining up for work on Newport Road between Goetz road and La Ladera road?

Living off of La Ladera Road, I see them all the time.

Whether or not anyone else "sees the problem" with these illegal immigrants, as this commenter asks, is perhaps a very big question that citizens of our country have been arguing over for a very long time.

But I assume this person is asking if anyone is going to do something to get rid of them. To answer that, I don't know. I'm sure our county supervisor knows about them all too well, but enforcing illegal immigration laws is a federal matter, not a local one and not even a State one.

Call the border patrol in Temecula: (951) 676-2261.

They probably already know about them, but can't do anything about it because there are too many US citizens trying to protect "their rights".

Labels: Day-Laborers, Illegal-Aliens, Newport-Road

The Californian posted an article today about Riverside County supervisors wanting to prohibit vendors from setting up shop along Newport Rd in Menifee...

http://www.nctimes.com/..../8_44_284_14_07.txt

The supervisors claim that these vendors present road hazards.

Road hazards?

I think teenagers twirling real estate signs on street corners are a bigger road hazard than these vendors.

The real issue here is that these vendors are unregulated, and therefore, escaping other kinds of taxes, license fees, and regulations. And government doesn't want to come out and say that they have a thing against freedom. So they raise the "public safety" card.

Look, if there's people wanting to sell stuff, and people wanting to buy stuff, let the two get together. Make commerce easier for everyone. If code enforcement is the issue, then let code enforcement come out and make sure these vendors are legit.

Don't call them "road hazards".

Labels: Newport-Road

That stretch of asphalt connecting Newport Road with Domenigoni Pkwy will open up in a matter of weeks, according to the Press Enterprise.

While this is going to be great news for Hemet, will it be great news for Menifee?

Congestion along Newport RD near the 215 Freeway is going to get worse, as Hemet folks make their way to points north and south. And Riverside County doesn't plan to relieve that congestion for another four years...

Unfortunately, parkway travelers still will endure a crowded stretch of Newport Road before reaching I-215. Perez said improvements to Newport Road near I-215 will take four years.

The biggest expectation for this new connector is that it will relieve congestion along Winchester Rd through Murrieta and Temecula. But will that relief come at a major cost to us in Menifee?

If Hemet commuters now have a straight shot to the 215 Freeway, will that increase congestion on the 215?

Retail centers in Menifee will not necessarily benefit right away from this new connector, because people in Hemet don't need to come to Menifee to do their shopping. However, the new road will make it easier for Menifee folks to get to the Super Wal-Mart in Hemet. Hemet could stand to get more of our tax dollars via this new road.

Overall, I think this new connector is a good idea for the entire South-West Riverside County as a whole. But I'm disappointed to learn that traffic relief along Newport & I-215 is still another four years away. In the long run, this connector will become vital to Menifee's future, but only after retail and business centers have been built here.

Until then, Newport Rd is going to become very busy, very soon.

Click on "Post a Comment" below, and tell us what you think.

Labels: Domenigoni-Parkway, Newport-Road

Three Comments!

The Traffic along Newport Road is awful in the AM. I am concerned about what will happen with Centex at The Lakes is completed and the Newport Road Extension to Winchester. Does anyone know if there are plans to widen Newport, between Menifee Road and Antelope? It would appear that the island down the middle would need to go?

Second- What about plans for a fwy bridge at Holland or Garbani, in addition to an onramp? This would alleviate a lot of the traffic.

Third- I have seen the light poles on the floor at Scott and Antelope for the last week, it would be nice to see them up and working sometime soon!

FYI: I have heard a few plans from Murrieta leaders. I understand that Clinton Keith construction will begin next year and the plan is take it all the way to Winchester. Also, there is supposed to be new bridges, about 6 lanes built at Scott Road/215 and Clinton Keith/215 and also at Baxter Rd, where on onramp/offramp will be. This is in preparation for the new hospital off Antelope in 2008 (See previous listing, there was an article in the Californian last month).

Labels: Antelope-Road, Centex-at-the-Lakes, Clinton-Keith-Road, Newport-Road, Scott-Road, Traffic