$48 Million Project to Relieve Congestion at Menifee Interchange on Track

By PAUL YOUNG, City News Service:

Riverside County supervisors Tuesday approved a construction contract and related agreements to clear the way for work on a $48.4 million interchange improvement project aimed at easing traffic congestion on a major east-west artery running through the heart of Menifee.

“This will help to greatly move traffic through one of the busiest interchanges in central Riverside County,” Transportation and Land Management Agency Director Juan Perez told the Board of Supervisors before its 5-0 vote in favor of finalizing compacts to secure funding for the Newport Road-Interstate 215 Interchange Project.

Board Chairman Marion Ashley, in whose Fifth District the interchange is located, said his constituents “cannot wait to have this built.”

“I can’t understand how anybody wouldn’t want it,” he said. “Right now, the interchange is so jammed, it literally severs the city (of Menifee) at almost any hour. It can take 10 minutes to get across the bridge.”

Menifee City Manager Rob Johnson agreed.

“This is an unbelievable project. We’re very excited to get it started,” he told the board. “This is going to do wonders for our city.”

Menifee is picking up the largest share of costs connected with the interchange rebuild -- $18.27 million -- with a number of other sources making lesser contributions. A $14.6 million federal transportation grant will serve as the second-largest source of revenue. Though the county is overseeing the project, it is not committing any funds.

The Perris-based Eastern Municipal Water District and the Southern California Gas Co. will supply nearly $1 million in total funding to cover expenses stemming from pipelines and other infrastructure needed for their operations in the project area.

The board’s vote Tuesday included approval of a $31.1 million contract with Corona-based Ames Construction Inc. to handle the work, which is slated to get underway in the next two months and wrap up 18 months later.

“The new interchange will not only benefit the city of Menifee, but all travel along Newport Road, a key east-west regional corridor,” Perez told the board.

According to design plans, the work will be concentrated on a half-mile stretch of the artery, where it crosses the 215, between Antelope and Haun roads.

Existing on- and offramps will be re-configured into loop-style connectors, resembling a partial cloverleaf. Additionally, the eastbound side of the overcrossing will be completely replaced and the west side will be widened, so that the bridge has a total of eight -- instead of four -- lanes, with wider shoulders and a new median.

New traffic lights will also be installed on each side of the interchange.

The project will be completed in phases to ensure the least hassle for commuters, according to county officials.

(Image via Shutterstock)