Newport Road Freeway Interchange Work Officially Begins

From left: Ruthanne Taylor Berger, deputy executive director of the Western Riverside Council of Governments; Juan Perez, county director of transportation; Marion Ashley, Riverside County Supervisor; Scott Mann, mayor of Menifee; Rob Johnson, Menifee city manager; Anne Mayer, executive director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission; David Bricker, deputy district director of environmental for Caltrans District 8.

One of the most ambitious and significant road projects in the history of Menifee officially kicked off today with a groundbreaking ceremony for the Interstate 215/Newport Road Interchange.

With shovels at the ready for the symbolic opening of the project, officials from the city, county and Caltrans gathered in a vacant lot less than 200 yards from where construction crews will begin to expand and reconfigure the Newport Road bridge over Interstate 215 and the freeway on- and off-ramps.

Work will continue for the next 18 to 24 months on the $37 million project, which should greatly improve flow on one of the busiest east-west traffic arteries in the area. With Menifee's population continuing to grow well past the 80,000 mark and commuters traveling from Hemet to the east and Lake Elsinore to the west, improved efficiency on this interchange was given high priority by city and county officials.

"It's thrilling to see dirt moving on the long-awaited interchange project," said Mayor Scott Mann (left). "The start of this project marks years of planning and hard work by city staff and our partners, Riverside County and Caltrans. In just 18 short months, one of Menifee's most congested thoroughfares will be reorganized and rebuilt to improve traffic flow on this highly traveled business corridor."

Officials are well aware of the strain already put on Menifee's roads with the increase in population and development. They also acknowledge the patience that will be asked of motorists during reconstruction of the Newport Interchange.

Dennis Green, construction coordinator for the Riverside County Transportation Department, addressed those concerns in a recent public forum explaining the project.

"There were about 75 people there, and when I asked them how many are concerned with traffic in Menifee, most of them raised their hands," Green said. "I then asked them, 'Would you like me to fix the problem or do nothing?' If we do nothing, the situation will only get worse."

Or course, Menifee residents and area commuters have their own suggestions on how to fix the problem, as they have voiced on Menifee 24/7 postings repeatedly in recent months. In an attempt to address those concerns, we have tried to get answers to some key questions related to the project and Menifee traffic in general.

Why isn't the Holland Road Overpass being built first?

This question is asked by many and seems on the surface to be a logical solution. The easy answer? Red tape and money.

Each road project is funded independently of the others. Initial talks about improvement of the Newport Road Interchange began in 2006, and attempts to raise the funds began soon after. Only recently was enough funding secured, and only then through a combination of county funds, developer fees and more than $17 million in funding from the City of Menifee.

Those funds cannot be transferred to the Holland Road Overpass or any other project. They are tied to this specific project through county and local agency actions and agreements with contractors based on this specific design. Besides, the Holland Road overpass project is still in the early stages of design and environmental impact approval -- and we all know the speed at which these things work.

"If you put the Newport Interchange on hold to focus on something else, you'll set the whole project back five years," Green said, referring to Menifee's seven-part traffic improvement plan.

The first two projects in that plan were already completed -- the widening of Newport Road east of Interstate 215 and completion of the Menifee Road "missing link." Next on the list after the Newport Interchange is the Scott Road interchange, which is further along in design and funding than the Holland Road Overpass project.

Why was the Newport Road Interchange scheduled ahead of Scott Road and the Holland Road overpass? Because of Newport's importance to the entire region as a major east-west thoroughfare. Much of the funding for the project came from Riverside County, which looks at the impact to all motorists in the area, not just one city.

What are the specifics of the planned improvements?

In explaining the changes that will improve traffic flow on the interchange, we must correct some misinformation that was distributed earlier, as design plans were being completed and explained to city officials and the media:

-- No, the traffic signals at either end of the bridge will NOT be removed. However, there will no longer be left turns at those signals. Why? Because the new design will create looping on-ramps off the far right lane rather than via a left turn at a signal.

The signals are still necessary, however, to stop through traffic for motorists coming off the freeway who wish to turn left onto Newport Road. Those two signals and the signals at Haun Road and Antelope Road will be synchronized to maximize traffic flow.

-- Because there are only two "looping" ramps in the design and not four (see image below showing the complete project), the term "cloverleaf design" is incorrect. According to Green, two more looping ramps would be needed in order to eliminate the two traffic signals and have all on- and off-ramps constructed without the need for left turns. That would greatly increase the cost and time of construction. Full cloverleaf designs are rarely used anymore, he said.

"This design is happening statewide," he said. "What's happening is you have a lot of conflicts with people making left turns. If I went out there right now and watched that light turn red to see how many people still turn left ... four or to five cars after the light is red. The through lanes have the same issue. When the light turns red, they still keep going, four or five cars.

"The potential for that broadside accident ... we're eliminating all those across the state. Looping on-ramps does two things: It improves safety by eliminating left-turn lanes, and you eliminate one phase of the signal and get more through lanes."

-- The completed design will allow three through lanes in each direction, thus eliminating the one lane each way that is currently devoted to left turns onto the freeway.

How will construction affect traffic on Newport Road across the freeway?

Construction will take place in two stages:

-- Reconstruction of on- and off-ramps
-- Expansion of the bridge across the freeway

Each stage will roll out in several phases. During stage 1, new looping on-ramps and and repositioned off-ramps will be constructed (the orange areas in Stage 1B map) while traffic continues to flow on existing roadways. In some cases, temporary stretches of road will be built to accommodate traffic flow and construction (blue areas on the map). Additional work areas and temporary road surfaces will be constructed in four additional phases of stage 1.

In stage 2 -- still several months away -- traffic in both directions will be confined to the north half of the existing bridge while the south half of the bridge is expanded (stages 2A, 2B and 2C, below). During that time, traffic will move across the bridge on the north half in only three lanes -- two in one direction and one in the other direction.

Green asks motorists to pay close attention to lane closures and changes in direction on a regular basis. When major changes will affect motorists as new phases are rolled out, notices will be posted on the City of Menifee website and Menifee 24/7. He said plans are also being made to position cameras that will record construction as it takes place. Images will be updated online every 15 minutes to show the most current road conditions.

In the final phase, Stage 2D, the new expanded bridge will be completed, creating three through traffic lanes in each direction with no left-turn lanes needed.

During construction -- especially stage 2 -- motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes when possible. Menifee Road to the east and Murrieta Road to the west are major north-south arteries, taking motorists away from the construction zone and to other roads that cross the freeway or access it.

"We want everyone to continue to patronize the businesses surrounding this zone, certainly," Green said. "But for those commuters who don't need to go this way, we ask them to help out by taking alternate routes."

Menifee 24/7 will post construction updates as often as they are warranted.