Murrieta Road improvements to include raised median

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Menifee city officials this week presented plans for improving Murrieta Road both north and south of Newport Road.

During the installation of underground water pipes by Eastern Municipal Water District, the road has become a jigsaw of patchwork asphalt fills, leading to complaints by drivers about a bumpy ride. The EMWD project, which runs a pipeline from the desalination plant at Salt Creek south to La Piedra Road, is in the final stages.

The next step is up to the Menifee Public Works Department to coordinate resurfacing of the road. According to city documents, the project includes resurfacing the existing road through cold-in-place recycled asphalt/concrete pavement with overlay; minor street widening; restriping where appropriate, and reconstruction of noncompliant pedestrian ramps. The work will be performed along Murrieta Road from San Quintin Avenue to Salt Creek Trail.

The project is more complex than just a resurfacing and restriping. The project approved by City Council on Wednesday – which will cost $32,932 for the design – includes raised medians to be placed both north and south of the Newport Road intersection. According to Public Works director Nick Fidler, the purpose of the medians is to reduce backup in the left turn lanes by eliminating left turns out of shopping center driveways near the intersection.

The inclusion of raised medians in an agenda item titled “Resurfacing Phase II” prompted questions from council members Bob Karwin and Matt Liesemeyer.

Karwin pulled the item from the consent calendar for discussion, asking why it was presented as resurfacing with only a minor mention of raised medians within the text. Liesemeyer agreed, saying, “You’re talking about resurfacing but then you talk about a median. Did you talk to the businesses in the area?”

“I’m concerned about traffic coming out of the Stater Bros. center and heading north,” said Karwin. He also expressed concern about the elimination of left turns heading north out of the Walgreens parking lot.

Fidler said that city officials consulted with business owners and that left-turn access north out of Stater Bros. was still possible from a second driveway north of the median. He also said that U-turns would be permissible at the intersection.

Lesa Sobek made a motion to approve the proposal and it passed 3-2, with Karwin and Liesemeyer the dissenting votes.