Proposed New Route Between Banning And Cabazon Still Moving Ahead

BANNING, CA — Efforts to move forward on the proposed Interstate-10 Bypass project between Banning and Cabazon gained some momentum Tuesday during the Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The supervisors signed off on an agreement to reimburse up to $8 million in Riverside County Transportation Commission TUMF regional funding for engineering and right-of-way expenses for the multi-million-dollar project.

The project would include construction of a two-lane road from Hathaway Street in Banning to Apache Trail in Cabazon. In addition to being an added route for motorized vehicles, the 3.5-mile-long stretch would also provide "a safe route for pedestrians and bicyclists," according to the County of Riverside Transportation Department.

The I-10 freeway is the only link between Banning and Cabazon, and many motorists can attest to the traffic jams through the area, especially when there's a crash. According to county documents, the stretch of freeway currently carries more than 147,000 vehicles and trucks daily.

Once completed, the I-10 Bypass Project would "provide better connectivity" between Banning and Cabazon, and it would "provide [a] critically needed alternate access route in the event of a major freeway closure on the I-10 freeway," according to county documents.

The project is currently being funded with local dollars, but state and federal monies are being eyed. Project costs include final design, right of way, utility relocation and construction and are expected to exceed $70 million.

Motorists won't get relief anytime soon, however. While the California Environmental Quality Act documents for the project were adopted in December without any legal challenges, the route's design and construction are expected to take several years.