Officials finally break ground for Holland Road Overpass

By Doug Spoon, Editor

A project that has been badly needed and eagerly awaited for a decade took a step closer to reality Monday when officials broke ground for the Holland Road Overpass.

The $35 million project will consist of a bridge four lanes wide and including bike lanes and sidewalks. It will provide an alternate route across the 215 Freeway for residents who are tired of fighting gridlock on Newport Road and Scott Road.

“We know this project takes pressure off Newport Road and Scott Road,” said Mayor Bill Zimmerman during Monday’s ceremony. “That’s really what this is all about.

“There’s a lot of cross traffic on Newport with people from San Jacinto and Hemet trying to get to Lake Elsinore and the other way around. So let those commuters do that, and locally, all of us who live here in Menifee are going to be able to get from one side of the freeway to the other with this awesome new addition.”

There will not be on- or off-ramps to the freeway because the close distance to Newport Road does not meet Caltrans’ standards for distance between ramps. The convenience in traveling from west to east through the city will be greatly increased, however.

“A lot of utilities have been impacted by this so it has taken a while, but we’re fully funded and ready to start construction,” said Nick Fidler, public works director.

The project will create an extension of Holland Road east from Haun Road to the bridge at a site just north of the storage facility located there. On the east side of the freeway, Holland Road will be widened to accommodate the extra flow of traffic approaching the bridge at Hanover Lane. In addition, Willowood Way will be reconfigured to give motorists coming from the neighborhood from the south access to Antelope Road, which will pass under the freeway bridge.

“Holland Road [will be] shifted to the north as it crosses over I-215 and shifts back into alignment at Hanover Lane,” Fidler said in response to a question from Menifee 24/7. “Willowood Way is extended through a knuckle and parallels Holland Road as it goes to the west to connect with Antelope Road. Holland Road will no longer connect with Antelope Road as the overcrossing is extended to the east of Antelope Road.”

City Council member Matt Liesemeyer noted the extra benefits that will be derived from the project.

“This increases the potential for the economic development in this area,” Liesemeyer said. “By unlocking another corridor through our city, it opens up economic vitality throughout the city. We’ll have more options for businesses to grow.”

Chris Gray of the West Riverside Council of Governments explained that $10 million of the funding for the project comes from fees paid by the developers of homes and businesses in the area.

“Since 2003, WRCOG has administered a program called TUMF (Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fees),” Gray explained. “That money comes to WRCOG, we aggregate that money and we send it out for projects like Holland Road.

“This will be a key regional connection, relieving congestion both for local residents and residents of the county. This will be a major east-west corridor.”

The project is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2024.