Major Delay To Impact 215 Freeway-Keller Road Interchange Construction In Murrieta

MURRIETA, CA — Construction of the highly-anticipated interchange project to improve traffic flow near the 215 Freeway and Keller Road in Murrieta has been pushed back to Spring of next year, officials said on Friday.

The project's new start date is due to delays in the Environmental Impact Report. The final project design and engineering has been ongoing concurrently with the EIR process and will be completed this year, said Hildur Sam, a spokesperson for the City of Murrieta.

The I-215-Keller Road Interchange will be built in northern Murrieta near Menifee and will include north and southbound on- and off-ramps from the 215 Freeway to Keller Road.

Keller Road was constructed in 1979 and currently operates as a two-lane underpass for the 215 Freeway. It was last widened in 2011.

Access to the area is currently limited to Scott Road, which is about one mile north of Keller Road — and Clinton Keith Road — which is about one and a half miles south. The interchange would reduce emergency response times dramatically, officials said.

"The lack of freeway access has frustrated the buildout of this medical/technical corridor," according to the city, which also says the area could accommodate 1.2 million square feet of hospital and medical space.

The project was estimated to cost up to $74 million. The City of Murrieta and the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) have committed funding to cover costs through the analysis and planning phase, and part of the right-of-way acquisition. Part of the funding comes from federal resources, which were earmarked by Rep. Ken Calvert.

The proposal in 2022 said the construction project would include vegetation removal, the introduction of fill, and construction grading and access, according to a summary filed with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Officials have said after the interchange is built, motorists will have better access to current medical centers of professionals such as Loma Linda University Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente medical offices and planned hospital and medical campuses. It would also improve access to hotel accommodations and research and development operations.

The interchange project was proposed in support of Murrieta General Plan 2035, a robust blueprint for the city's growth, development. The city plans for the project to be "an integral part of the City's plan to transform this corridor into the future bio-medical, educational and technological center of the region."