The Riverside County Transportation Department is moving forward with its plans to widen two stretches of Temescal Canyon Road. Bicycle lanes also will be added.
An informational workshop will be held at 6 p.m., Tuesday Sept. 12 at the Trilogy Lodge, 24503 Trilogy Parkway. An environmental analysis was necessary and has been prepared.
Comments about the widening project and the analysis are being accepted by the county now through Sunday, Sept. 24
Comments should be emailed to Marcia Frances Rose, MFRose@rivco.org.
Here’s the link to the analysis; questions also can be asked at Tuesday’s meeting:
http://rcprojects.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Temescal_Dawson_Draft-ISMND_082217.pdf
County OKs concept for TCR improvements
(Published Oct. 13, 2015)
Anne Meyer of the Riverside County Transportation Commission and Juan Perez of the Riverside County Transportation Department at the October Municipal Advisory Council meeting presented a concept plan for improvements to be made along Temescal Canyon Road in the El Cerrito and Temescal Valley areas.
Left-turn lanes will be constructed on Temescal Canyon Road at Lawson Road, across from Tom’s Farms and at Hostettler Road in Horsethief Canyon Ranch. Construction on the lanes should begin in the middle of next year. It was suggested at the meeting that street lights be placed near the left-turn lanes.
Also planned is a culvert under Temescal Canyon Road south of Tom’s Farms and north of Glen Ivy Road that would prevent drainage from Coldwater Canyon from flooding and washing out Temescal Canyon Road during heavy storms. This construction should begin late next year.
The concept also looks at widening three stretches of Temescal Canyon Road from two to four lanes. The areas to be widened are from El Cerrito Road south to Tom Barnes Street in back of The Crossings, from 7-Oaks Deli south to the beginning of Wildrose Business Park, and from the southern end of Wildrose Business Park to the Temescal Canyon Road and I-15 interchange.
The road widening will be done in three phases and will cost about $25 million. There are no construction dates established yet because the county still must determine the source or sources for the $25 million. Read the staff report HERE
Any progress on replacing the very narrow and very dangerous bridge on Temescal Canyon Road approaching Lake Street? Significant parts of the bridge superstructure have been torn away from years of repeated crashes, with much more severe damage to the vehicles and occupants.
As a homeowner in Horsethief Canyon for nearly 15 years, I have seen that bridge was always the most critical danger to fix. But we keep doing very optional projects such as left turn lanes and widening limited sections of Temescal Valley Road. Never any progress on the one critical problem.
Ken — This bridge, built in 1924, is a good example of a “squeaky wheel” that hasn’t been “squeaked” loud enough. I first learned of it at a Temescal Valley Municipal Advisory Council meeting seven years ago. Its safety was being questioned by a few Horsethief Canyon Ranch residents. Eric Werner, MAC chairman at the time, investigated the bridge and, as I remember, learned it was within the Lake Elsinore city boundaries and the city’s responsibility. Supposedly, at that time, the city was pursuing funding to make the repairs but the funds wouldn’t be available for about seven years. That would be now. I approached a Lake Elsinore city official in October and leaned there was no new news on the bridge. I will look into it again, but it would help if a few HCR residents would attend the next MAC meeting and ask for the county’s assistance in approaching Lake Elsinore about the need to fix this problem as soon as possible. I will bring it to the attention of the We Are Temescal Valley Public Safety Committee.