Next step toward Holland Overpass: Relocate utility lines

The Menifee City Council on Wednesday approved the latest step in preparation for the Holland Road 215 Freeway overpass – an agreement regarding relocation of utility lines on the freeway corridor.

The action authorizes the city manager to execute an agreement with Southern California Edison for the City to reimburse SCE for costs of the relocation. This will clear the area of utility lines in preparation for construction of the proposed $28 million, four-lane bridge. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2021.

According to a staff presentation to City Council members on Wednesday, correspondence with SCE and Caltrans determined that SCE had prior easement rights that supersede the City’s, so the City is 100 percent liable for the relocation costs.

SCE’s estimated cost of the relocation project is $515,364. According to the presentation to City Council, “City staff originally estimated the cost of SCE’s relocation work to be up to $700,000. This estimate has already been included in the overall project budget and will not affect the project estimated costs.”

Overall, however, the City of Menifee is still several million dollars short of the funding needed for the project. It is not eligible for the same amount of funding as the freeway interchanges at Newport Road and Scott Road, which are considered major regional roadways. According to the City’s five-year Capital Improvement Plan, approved by the City Council in June, approved funding for the Holland Road Overpass to date is about $14.47 million – half of the project cost.

Over the next three years, City officials estimate being able to devote about $6.4 million in funds from Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fees (TUMF) – a regional program that requires developers to pay a share of increased traffic costs they create. In addition, a significant portion of the funding is expected to come from Measure DD tax revenue funds, said former City Engineer Jonathan Smith in a Jan. 3 interview with Menifee 24/7.

Measure DD – a 1 percent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 to help fund police and road improvements – faces a recall measure on the November ballot. Exactly how much of an impact the loss of Measure DD would have on the Holland Road Overpass project is unclear.