Bill to Give County Control of SR 74 Clears Committee

By City News Service:

An Inland Empire lawmaker’s bill to authorize the transfer of a segment of Highway 74 from the state to Riverside County cleared its first legislative hurdle Monday.

AB 218, sponsored by Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, was unanimously approved by the Assembly Transportation Committee.

The bill calls for Caltrans to relinquish control of a six-mile stretch of state Route 74 between Lake Elsinore and Perris.

“Bringing management of this highway under local control will eliminate bureaucratic issues associated with Caltrans and saves taxpayer dollars,” Melendez said. “I hope the unanimous support today is the beginning of a trend in Sacramento towards more local control in this state.”

Under the legislation, the Riverside County Department of Transportation would be responsible for the corridor, relieving the state of all future maintenance and liability costs.

Melendez said the roadway has suffered from “years of neglect” and desperately needs a makeover.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors has endorsed the bill. Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, whose First District encompasses the area, has said that the communities of Good Hope and Meadowbrook are growing, but obtaining easements and other improvements along SR-74 is a frustrating process because of how slow the state moves.

Jeffries has been pushing for county control of the corridor for about a year, pointing out that the portion of 74 that traverses Perris has already been turned over to that city for maintenance and management.

“This route does not serve regional or statewide transportation needs, and therefore, should be given consideration to be relinquished by the state to the county,” Jeffries wrote in documents earlier this year.

AB 218 will be heard by the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee in the coming weeks.

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