Public Hearing Set on Proposed Bypass Project in Banning

BANNING, CA -- A public hearing on the proposed construction of a long-awaited frontage road from Banning to Cabazon, providing motorists with an escape route in the event of a closure on Interstate 10, will be held Thursday in Banning.

Caltrans and Riverside County Department of Transportation officials will host the meeting to solicit public input on the "I-10 Bypass Project" and offer residents an overview of the 860-page draft environmental impact report that was prepared by the state. The information gathered at the hearing - - set to begin at 5 p.m. Thursday at Banning High School and run about two hours -- will be folded into the final EIR published in the coming months.

"The proposed project will accomplish the following: provide a local roadway connecting Banning and Cabazon, provide a safe route for pedestrians and bicyclists, improve transportation facilities connecting Banning and Cabazon, provide an alternate route between Banning and Cabazon in the event of a closure on I-10, and address the growth and mobility needs of the surrounding region," according to a statement attached to the EIR.

As it stands, the bypass would be a 3.3-mile link, from the intersection of Hathaway Street and Westward Avenue in Banning to the intersection of Apache Trail and Bonita Avenue in Cabazon, traversing most of Smith Creek and crossing over the San Gorgonio River.

Officials pointed out that many Cabazon youths attend high school in Banning, and the new corridor would provide an alternative to traveling on the busy freeway.

The bypass would initially consist of two lanes, but within 20 years, would have to be expanded to four to meet growing traffic demands, officials said.

County Supervisors Marion Ashley and the late John J. Benoit were the first public officials to actively promote the concept of a frontage route, enabling motorists to funnel off of the freeway when it's clogged or at a standstill because of an accident or other problem.

In October 2012, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted in favor of creating an "Interstate 10 Lifeline Emergency Action Plan," the substance of which was an escape route that parallels the freeway. Elements of the plan are incorporated in the current proposed project.

The action plan was prompted by a Feb. 12, 2012, traffic stoppage stemming from a Caltrans road improvement project that ran overtime and required the closure of all but one lane on the westbound side of Interstate 10 near Banning in the middle of the day. A 20-mile backup ensued, leaving some drivers stranded for seven hours.

Since then, Caltrans has installed four "cross-over gates" in the center divider of the freeway, between Banning and Whitewater, that permit California Highway Patrol officers, in an emergency traffic jam, to turn vehicles around.

With the bypass, Caltrans is proposing either a route that pushes into the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Reservation, or tacks slightly to the south of it.

The segment of Interstate 10 between Cabazon and Banning has been in place since 1964.

"Although Banning and Cabazon are just three miles apart, no local roadways connect them," the EIR states. "The lack of a local roadway connecting Cabazon and Banning adversely affects the area's livability for its residents.

"The lack of a local connection parallel to I-10 has the potential to create major problems on a regional scale whenever I-10 through the San Gorgonio Pass is fully or partially closed for an extended period," the document continued. "When the freeway is fully or partially closed due to an emergency in the segment between Hargrave Street in Banning and Morongo Trail in Cabazon, the only available detour routes are lengthy."

The anticipated cost of constructing the bypass was not specified. Projections from 2013 indicated it could run anywhere from $50 million to $80 million.

The draft EIR can be found at http://rcprojects.org/i10bypass/.

--City News Service/Photo via Shutterstock