Caltrans maintenance crews discovered bridge damage late last week on Interstate 215 (I-215) on the McCall Blvd. overcrossing in Sun City. They suspect that a "high hit load", or a vehicle taller than the bridge, caused the damage to some girders along the underpass of the bridge.





Caltrans Structures has been on scene and an emergency contract in the amount of $1.5 million has been established to make the repairs to the bridge. Sema Construction has been awarded the contract and started work last night. The work schedule is undetermined at this time.

The following traffic handling plan is in place, and will be updated more information is released...

• K-rail is in place on southbound I-215 at McCall Blvd on the shoulder and in the median. There are no lane restrictions at this time on I-215.



• The eastbound #2 lane on McCall Blvd overpass is closed until further notice and there is a possibility that the westbound #2 lane will close. One lane in each direction is available to traffic on McCall Blvd. overpass.

Bridge false work, or support apparatus, will be placed under the bridge to alleviate pressure while the repairs take place.

Full closure of I-215 is anticipated as the project progresses.

The bridge has been determined safe for travel and is open to motorists. The work schedule and extent of the damage is preliminary at this time.

Labels: McCall-Blvd, Road-Improvements

Found in the Press Enterprise today is this about Scott Road being widened east of the I-215...

Work is also under way to widen Scott Road between Antelope and Briggs roads, Perez said. Construction could start in two years to build an interchange at Scott and Interstate 215, he said. Scott runs between I-215 and Winchester just north of Murrieta.

One on hand, you could say that this is news.

On the other hand, they've been saying this exact same thing for the last four years.

Labels: Road-Improvements, Scott-Road

CalTrans issued an advisory today stating that beginning tomorrow through Friday, they'll be laying down new asphalt along the construction areas of Ortega Highway (SR74), during daylight hours.

Because of this, traffic along the one-lane stretch of road will move even more slowly.

They said they have to do this during daylight hours because asphalt can't cure properly in freezing temperatures.

If you currently commute along Ortega Highway, you might want to take the 91 instead.

Labels: Road-Improvements

Expanding freeways in Riverside County to address future population growth by 2030 is going to cost $14 billion. The North County Times reports that county officials don't have a clue where that money is going to come from.

The article goes on to say that the rapid growth of Chinese-made products arriving in Long Beach, and getting trucked out all over the west is largely why so many more trucks are clogging up freeways.

Interestingly, blame is being placed on retailers who receive goods from the Port of Los Angeles and then truck them through Riverside County on their way parts further east...

"I'm adamantly opposed to charging the people of this county for a problem that's caused out of Los Angeles," said Riverside City Councilman Steve Adams, who represents his city on the commission. "We are servicing the rest of the nation. We are being punished for getting their goods through."

It's definitely a valid point, but one which can't be resolved by levying fees on truckers and retailers. Any extra fees placed on commerce will ultimately get passed down to the consumer. The people always end up paying in the end.

The other idea is to levy higher fees new housing starts. The NC Times reported that $9,700 in fees is already being passed down to new home buyers, and that it might require another $5,000 per home to cover freeway expansion.

At this point, I'm ALL for passing the fee on to new home buyers. As a homeowner, making new homes more expensive is going to raise the resale value of my property.

But one of the problems of slowing down growth of new homes, is that it also slows down the growth of new retail and business centers. You gotta have the people first, in order to support shopping malls and movie theaters.

I think Menifee is at a point where we may not need more people. There's plenty of people in Hemet, Winchester, Perris, and Murrieta. We can suck them into buying stuff from our retail centers, and pump money into our community.

Labels: Road-Improvements

I was driving through Quail Valley to the little post office there, and noticed that stop signs were put in on Goetz Rd and Palm Dr.


I took this photo with my cell phone. Yeah, I'm one of those guys that drives and uses my cell phone at the same time, but I do it to bring you the news!

Sounds like the influx of new homes built there in Quail Valley, as well as those in Perris, are causing a lot of traffic along Goetz Rd.

Labels: Quail-Valley, Road-Improvements

Last Monday, the Western Riverside Council of Governments, a board consisting of our County Supervisors and the council members of local cities, all listened to a presentation from Brian Taylor, director of the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies.

Taylor basically said that any freeway expansion plans for Riverside County won't ease congestion, but actually invite more of it. He went on to say that toll roads are the best solution towards keeping traffic moving.

You can read about it in an article published by The Californian...
http://www.nctimes.com/..../11_16_168_6_07.txt

After the presentation, various members of the board offered their quotes to the reporter, which basically rejected the notion that toll roads were the best solution. 3rd District Supervisor Jeff Stone probably said it best...

And County Supervisor Jeff Stone said it is misleading to suggest that tolls solve the congestion problem, because those who can't afford the charge still wind up sitting in traffic.

"I think that causes a lot of rebellion for people who are stuck on a fixed income and are trying to get home," Stone said.

I used to commute from Menifee to the John Wayne Airport area to work each day, between 2001-2003, before finally quitting to do this website business of mine. Some days I'd take the 91 freeway, and other days I'd take Ortega Highway. Both seem to get me to work about the same time, except the Ortega Highway always kept moving at a faster pace, even though technically, it was a longer commute in miles.

But I also used to ride down the toll lanes of the 91 freeway. I had a transponder from the Toll Lanes operator. In those days, it cost me $5.00 to travel down the 91 toll lanes. I believe it costs even more today. Without it, you're simply stuck in traffic, and being stuck makes you angry. So essentially, the toll road is an anger management tool more than anything else.

My solution to the traffic congestion is to ride motorcycles or scooters. These days, scooters are as fast and powerful as many of the motorcycles out there. The smaller size of motorcycles and scooters means that they take up less room on the roadways and traffic moves faster. You can also expect to get between 40-50 MPG with most motorcycles, and 50-70 MPG on most scooters. You're saving a lot of money on gasoline, and you're producing fewer emissions.

But as for toll roads, I don't welcome them. Even though I used them in my commutes, I would have preferred to open up all lanes to everyone. Just because toll lanes move faster, doesn't mean the "free lanes" move faster, they seem to move slower and slower all the time. And like Stone said, people who cannot afford the tolls get more angry.

We need to widen lanes, and widen them big time. I'd like to see the I-215 widen to at least 4 lanes on each side, instead of the proposed three. I realize that will encourage more people to move here, but we already know more people are going to move here anyways.

Labels: Road-Improvements

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, Road-Improvements

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: Road-Improvements, Traffic

As I sat on the corner of Antelope and Scott, I wondered how much gas I was wasting because of the lack of stop lights on the corner. I had some stop light envy as I noticed the lights near the gas station, about 30 yards from where they should be. I then took my "wondering" a step further. I assumed that in a given month, an average person could easily burn 1.0 gallon minimum or 2.0 gallons maximum of excess gas waiting for their turn at the stop sign. Assuming only 5000 cars pass through that intersection during rush hour, I calculated that at minimum, 5000 to 10,000 gallons of excess gas are consumed due to lack of a stoplight. At $2.75/GALLON, that is $13,750 to $27,500 per month in excess gas costs or $165,000 to $330,000 yearly.This does not take into account the value of our time. In addition, as the year progresses, the number of cars will surely increase, as will our wait time. I am about ready to stand on the corner and take up a collection for a stoplight! Any volunteers? :))

We urgently need to have a light placed at that intersection! I am assuming that would be the responsiblilty of the county's transportation department. It would be nice to have a timeframe and specific date given to us as to when we could expect this light.

PS: Increasing the number of lanes on the 215 FWY should be top priority. Our city's growth and home prices may depend on it.

Labels: Antelope-Road, Road-Improvements, Scott-Road

I'm always curious to see what's happening around town with regards to redevelopment and improvements. The civil engineering firm that I work for (headquartered in Escondido) is currently undergoing an expansion to the Inland Empire. On Sept. 6th we are opening our second office off of Murrieta Hot Springs Road in Murrieta. One thing that I've noticed on my numerous trips to the new location is how exceptional Murrieta is in posting signs that let the community know just what improvement is happening and when it's expected to be finished. This is a great opportunity for passers-by to see how their tax dollars are being used.

Is there a place where we can find out what development and improvement projects are currently under way in Menifee/Sun City?

Labels: Road-Improvements

Scott Road and Antelope traffic problem is one of the highest priorities for Supervisor Stone's office. I talked to Mr. Russ Garrett who told me that the office is working closely with the City of Murrietta to place a light signal at this intersection. This light signal will be paid for by Hugh Investments (owner of the shopping center) and is scheduled to be up in October, 2005. In the interim, Stone's office is coordinating with the CHP/Sheriff Department for Community Service Officers to be trained in which to direct traffic in this area. This should be in effect very shortly.

There will be a new Community Facility District (CFD) designation to widen Scott Road to 4 lanes from the 215 to Briggs Road. Eventually the plan will be to widen Scott Road from the 215 to the 79, 6 LANES.

The reason behind all of this road congestion is that the previous County Administration required little infrastructure of the developers when their projects were approved. They did not have the foresight to realize that once you build, more will come. Now the past has caught up with us, Supervisor Stone is trying to get these issues fixed as fast as possible.

Labels: Antelope-Road, Road-Improvements, Scott-Road