Q: Kathy Reid of Hemet asked when construction would be finished on the 10 Freeway from the desert to the 60. Signs on the exits says June 2020 thru Sept 2022, she said.
A: The project to which our reader is referring is known as the I-10 Tune Up. This pavement rehabilitation project started in February 2020 and is anticipated to end in December of this year. “So far the project is actually on schedule, and was slated to be complete by December 2022 or January 2023,” said Emily Leinen, Caltrans District 8 spokeswoman. She said Caltrans will ask the contractor to update the signs. Here’s the website where readers can also get updates on the work being done: https://i10tuneup.com.
Q: Ella Collins of Hemet said she has lived in the San Jacinto Valley for 32 years and while the population has grown immensely, “We are still driving on these two-lane roads. They are increasingly more congested and dangerous for everyone.” Collins asked for an update on the planned Mid County Parkway from Perris to San Jacinto.
A: These major projects take time, and this one is moving along (although probably not as fast as our reader would like).
Here’s a basic overview from the Riverside County Transportation Commission. The Mid County Parkway is a 16-mile transportation corridor planned between San Jacinto and Perris to improve access, boost safety and reduce travel times. The parkway will connect to Highway 79, the 215 Freeway, and bus and rail facilities supporting Metrolink’s 91/Perris Valley Line.
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RCTC approved a contract on September 14 to prepare construction documents for an 8.6-mile segment of the Mid County Parkway. A proposed segment extends 8.6 miles along the Ramona Expressway about a mile east of Rider Street to Warren Road, within the 16-mile Mid County Parkway corridor.
The Ramona Expressway segment currently has one lane in each direction with a passing lane between Fifth Street and Bridge Street. Planned improvements here include having two lanes in each direction, a raised median to separate the eastbound and westbound lanes, a new bridge over the San Jacinto River, modifying three intersections with traffic signals, installing one new signalized intersection, and building a wildlife crossing to help critters avoid being hit on the road.
Last spring, the RCTC deferred final design of a previously identified 3-mile segment from Redlands Avenue to the Ramona Expressway to address safety needs along the 8.6-mile Ramona Expressway segment, which has a history of vehicle collisions. Between 2017 and 2022, Riverside County reported 31 collisions there, with 14 fatalities, according to the RCTC.
If funding is secured, construction could begin in 2025 and take about two years. The RCTC hasn’t yet determined the timing to build the other Mid County Parkway segments. That will depend on funding.
Construction of the 215 Freeway Placentia Avenue Interchange in Perris, the first MCP segment, began in August 2020 and is scheduled to open this fall. Here’s the project website for details: https://www.rctc.org/projects/mid-county-parkway-ramona/.
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