Community Corner
Contract Awarded for Murrieta-Temecula Bridge at Ynez Road
Construction on the first phase of the bridge is expected to begin no later than Sept. 1, according to City Engineer Bob Moehling, and two of two phases should take one year to complete.
A north-south bridge that will connect Murrieta to Temecula just east of Interstate 15 is coming soon.
Murrieta City Council on Tuesday awarded a $5.12-million contract for the construction of the four-lane Jackson Avenue bridge over Warm Springs Creek at the city’s border with Ynez Road in Temecula.
Council members were happy the long-awaited project was set to begin, as plans for it date back nearly a decade.
“...Finally,” said Councilman Alan Long. “For those of you who have been around for quite some time this should have been done a long time ago...This goes beyond improving circulation and travel for our community, it is a safety element. The amount of cars it is going to take off the 1-15 freeway...The effects of this are going to be exponential.”
Murrieta Mayor Rick Gibbs echoed Long, stating that is was a safety measure to have that additional north-south route between Murrieta and Temecula. Following 9-11, he recalled having a conversation with late Murrieta fire Chief Phil Armentrout about the gridlock the area would be in if a disaster of that scale hit southwest Riverside County.
“The I-15 would be impassable,” Gibbs said, for families to reach their children who may be at an activity in a neighboring town, their spouses or to get home.
The work has been stalled for the last few years, Gibbs said, because redevelopment money set aside for the project was redirected to the state.
“And now here we are and we were able to find the money from other sources,” Gibbs said.
Funding has been allocated under the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, and will come from vehicle gas taxes, freeway and street development impact fees and the general fund.
For updates on two other upcoming major road improvements in Murrieta, click here.
Construction on the first phase of the bridge is expected to begin no later than Sept. 1, according to City Engineer Bob Moehling, and two of two phases should take one year to complete. The project will also include the removal and replacement of Jackson Avenue pavement from Sam’s Club south to the bridge, he said.
The contract for the work was awarded to the lowest bidder of 10, Riverside-based AlAbassi Construction and Engineering, which recently completed the Guava Street flood control project ahead of schedule, Moehling pointed out.Council members were happy the long-awaited project was set to begin, as plans for it date back nearly a decade.
“...Finally,” said Councilman Alan Long. “For those of you who have been around for quite some time this should have been done a long time ago...This goes beyond improving circulation and travel for our community, it is a safety element. The amount of cars it is going to take off the 1-15 freeway...The effects of this are going to be exponential.”
Murrieta Mayor Rick Gibbs echoed Long, stating that is was a safety measure to have that additional north-south route between Murrieta and Temecula. Following 9-11, he recalled having a conversation with late Murrieta fire Chief Phil Armentrout about the gridlock the area would be in if a disaster of that scale hit southwest Riverside County.
“The I-15 would be impassable,” Gibbs said, for families to reach their children who may be at an activity in a neighboring town, their spouses or to get home.
The work has been stalled for the last few years, Gibbs said, because redevelopment money set aside for the project was redirected to the state.
“And now here we are and we were able to find the money from other sources,” Gibbs said.
Funding has been allocated under the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, and will come from vehicle gas taxes, freeway and street development impact fees and the general fund.
For updates on two other upcoming major road improvements in Murrieta, click here.
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