Road closure remains part of ongoing EMWD project

The only lane open on Murrieta Road is one northbound lane through the EMWD construction area at Salt Creek. (Photos: Menifee 24/7)

Officials of Eastern Municipal Water District continue to ask for patience and understanding from residents impacted by the construction limiting lanes of traffic on Murrieta Road at Salt Creek.

The Murrieta Road Pipeline Project involves construction of a 36-inch pipeline from the EMWD Desalination Complex just north of Salt Creek that will run south under the creek bed and along Murrieta Road to connect with existing infrastructure at La Piedra Road. According to EMWD, the project will increase the amount of water that can be distributed from the desalters, which treat local, salty groundwater.

EMWD officials broke ground for the Desalination Complex at Murrieta Road and Salt Creek in March of 2019. Officially called the Perris II Reverse Osmosis Treatment Facility, it will increase the amount of drinkable water to area residents by removing salt from brackish groundwater basin water and exporting the salt through a regional brine line.

Desaslters such as this will reduce EMWD’s reliance on imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River Aqueduct, said Kevin Pearson, public affairs officer for EMWD. Accomplishing this requires a prolonged construction project that impacts traffic, however. According to Pearson, the work at Murrieta Road and Salt Creek is expected to continue through the summer.

Currently, the southbound lane of Murrieta Road is closed from Ridgemoor Road to Park City Avenue. Traffic control will remain in place as crews dig under the Salt Creek bridge to place the pipe and connect it with the Desalination Complex. The lane closure is necessary for the safety of crews working on the project, as well as motorists.

“The Salt Creek Bridge is too narrow for us to safely construct the pipeline and keep both north and southbound lanes open,” Pearson told Menifee 24/7.

Once that section of the project is complete, work will continue south on Murrieta Road. When it reaches the busy intersection of Murrieta Road and Newport Road, the plan is to perform construction work only at night to minimize the effect on traffic.

For more information and updates on the project, check the project website here.

Motorists heading southbound on Murrieta Road are re-routed east or west because of lane closures.

 Dark blue line shows the route of the EMWD pipeline. Yellow lines show alternate routes south to Newport Road.