Who to Blame for Traffic Jam if City Loses $15-million

Councilmember Darryl Hickman has posted this campaign sign going up Summerhill Drive to Tuscany Hills that touts the Twitter feed…#NoNewTaxes. The Twitter hashtag is prominently featured on the chest of all five Councilmembers. This hashtag site is in favor of “Repealing the Gas Tax” through Prop-6. The passage of Prop-6 would take away $15-million in State Funding for the Railroad Canyon Rd & 15-Fwy Interchange Project and upwards of $379-million from Riverside County.

John Standiford is the Deputy Executive Director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission. He recently told the San Bernardino Sun newspaper…

“Standiford said a few other projects — including plans to reconstruct the 15 Freeway/Railroad Canyon Road interchange in Lake Elsinore — could be on shaky footing if Prop 6 passes.”

https://www.sbsun.com/2018/09/14/road-construction-in-southern-california-would-change-if-prop-6-passes/

Nobody likes paying taxes, but I hate the constant traffic jam at Railroad Canyon Road and the 15-Freeway even worse. Citizens had to put up with the traffic at this intersection for the last 18-years. Now that the City of Lake Elsinore has the funding lined-up to solve this traffic problem, but our own City Council unanimously supports taking away $15-million of State funding. That’s nuts! That's a lot of money for this City and we’ll never get this opportunity again.

The “Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB-1)” is providing almost $400-million to Riverside County. The City of Lake Elsinore has already benefitted by receiving State Funding to pave Graham Avenue in the Downtown. The Citizens, especially commuters, can’t afford to lose $15-million of State Funding to relieve the traffic at Railroad Canyon Road & the 15-Freeway.

City Council talks in Circles:

Since 2014 the City Council of the City of Lake Elsinore has spent a couple hundred-thousand dollars on a cockamamie proposal to construct five (5) tightly spaced roundabouts as a solution to the traffic congestion at the I-15 and Railroad Canyon Interchange. At the very least this was a “high risk” proposal, as there is only a single example of such a traffic layout in the entire United States. Why would any responsible elected official buy into to making the City a “Guinea-pig” on the most crucial intersection in the City? I personally thought the 5 tightly spaced roundabouts would have been a demolition derby.

See City Press Release at the weblink below:

http://www.lake-elsinore.org/Home/Components/News/News/1116/26?arch=1&npage=4

Fortunately, in 2017, the smart people from Caltrans rejected the roundabouts proposed the City of Lake Elsinore.

“In moving forward with the hook-ramp and widening design in Phase 1, the city — in conjunction with Caltrans and the county transportation commission — rejected the alternative involving the installation of five traffic roundabouts”

See City Press Enterprise New Article at the weblink below:

https://www.pe.com/2017/09/05/caltrans-backs-plan-for-15-interchange-project-in-lake-elsinore/

Current Status of Project at weblinks below:

https://patch.com/california/lakeelsinore-wildomar/funding-secured-i-15-railroad-canyon-road-interchange-project

http://www.lake-elsinore.org/city-hall/city-departments/public-works/engineering/capital-improvement-program/i-15-railroad-canyon-road-franklin-interchange-project

Vote NO on Prop-6, but if it passes, you know who to blame for the TRAFFIC!

Pat Kilroy, 25-year resident