Dokken Engineering representatives and Menifee City Council members met with residents Thursday evening to answer questions and hear concerns about the proposed I-215/McCall Boulevard Interchange Improvement Project.
A public hearing was held at the Sun City Civic Association in an open house format where maps were displayed of how McCall Boulevard looks currently, how it would look if the project were approved, and the project’s phases.
According to the Draft Environmental Impact Report prepared by Caltrans and the City of Menifee, the project aims to increase the storage capacity of the I-215 off-ramps and improve traffic congestion. The project would reconstruct the freeway interchange and widen McCall Boulevard from two to three lanes in each direction from Sun City Boulevard to about 700 feet east of Encanto Drive, according to the report.
The proposal also includes adding a bike and Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) lane on both sides of the road/bridge, a sidewalk on the north side and improvements to the intersections of McCall Boulevard/Bradley Road and McCall Boulevard/Encanto Drive.
Dokken Engineering project manager Pamela Dalcin-Walling said a traffic study was conducted that determined the need for the project.
“There’s a lot of moving parts,” she said. “We wouldn’t be able to move forward with this project if the traffic study said, ‘There’s no problem.’”
The report states the proposed project would reduce vehicle delay by up to 70 percent — 78 percent in the study area during peak period. It would serve approximately 5 percent and 8 percent more traffic demand during peak hours. It also states the project “would not change overall land use or provide access to previously undeveloped land.”
Some residents expressed support of the proposed project, sharing experiences of traffic congestion while waiting on the I-215 off-ramp at McCall Boulevard or having to stop frequently at nearby intersections because traffic lights aren’t synchronized.
Others voiced concerns about the timing of construction in relation to other city developments, the inclusion of a bike/NEV lane in light of increasing e-bike accidents, and delays and closures due to construction.
“We’ve emphasized to (the public) that, by and large, McCall will stay open during construction. The contractor will be required to have lanes open and a pedestrian and bicycle path of travel through the construction zone,” Dalcin-Walling said.
The proposed project is in its environmental documentation phase. After the City of Menifee and Dokken Engineering receive public feedback, a final report will be created, approved by Caltrans and followed by a design and construction plan.
The City of Menifee is responsible for acquiring construction funding, but none has been acquired yet. If approved and funded, construction would likely start in 2028, Dalcin-Walling said.
“When I say 2028 for construction, that’s assuming that all goes smoothly,” she said.
Comments on the report or the proposed project can be submitted in writing no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 22. They can be submitted via email to Malisa Lieng at I-215McCallProject@dot.ca.gov or mailed to Malisa Lieng, senior environmental planner, California Department of Transportation, 464 W 4th St., MS 823, San Bernardino, CA 92401.
The Draft Environmental Impact Report is available at Menifee’s City Hall and the Sun City Library. An electronic copy can be downloaded at cityofmenifee.us/325/Environmental-Notices-Documents
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