Widen Cajalco Road from two to four lanes between Harvill Avenue to the east and Temescal Canyon Road to the west, and from four to six lanes between the Interstate 215 (I-215) southbound ramps and Harvill Avenue
Update – July 2012r
Two public scoping meetings were held by the County of Riverside (County) in September 2011 to inform the community about the Cajalco Road Project and the County’s intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and see input on the proposed project and issues to be addressed in the EIR.
The meetings were held, September 26th and September 29th at Lake Mathews Elementary School and Tomas Rivera Middle School respectively.
The meetings were well attended and valuable information was both shared with and received from the community.
Copies of the presentation materials are available for download from the “Public Documents” section of this project web site.
Input received from 72 members of the public and 18 agencies have resulted in the following:
A decision on the type of environmental document necessary for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has been issued by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the lead federal agency for the project, An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared. Formal notification of this decision will be in the form of a Notice of Intent (NOI) and will be listed in the Federal Register, local newspapers, and provided to the public and agencies. Additional public scoping meetings with opportunity to provide input and obtain information about the project will be held in the fall of 2012.
Comments on the NOI from the public and agencies will be requested. Additional agencies will be invited to provide input to the development of the project. The result of this process will be one environmental document that will address the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and NEPA, an EIR/EIS that will be produced and available for review and comment.
Information on the dates and times for the public meetings will be provided in several ways:
The purpose of the proposed project is to:
The proposed project includes the widening of Cajalco Road between the I-215 southbound ramps and Temescal Canyon Road in the County of Riverside. A small portion of the westernmost part of the alignment is located in the city of Corona. The project would widen the roadway to four lanes between Harvill Avenue and Temescal Canyon Road, and to six lanes between the I-215 southbound ramps and Harvill Avenue, to improve east-west mobility and to provide increased capacity and improved traffic flow and safety. The total length of the project is approximately 16 miles.
Safety enhancements proposed for the project include the following:
Portions of the project are located within the boundaries of the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (WRC MSCHP) Stephen’s kangaroo rat (SKR) Long-term Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), and Metropolitan Water District’s (MWD) Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP). The project’s consistency with the plans and goals of the conservation plans will be evaluated in the environmental document that is prepared for the project.
Project alternatives that have been developed and refined based on public and agency input, and preliminary study, are described in the following sections. A No Project Alternative also is analyzed for the proposed project.
Click to zoom
Widen Existing Cajalco Road with Minor Alignment Changes between I-215 and Temescal Canyon Road
Alternative 1 would construct two lanes in each direction (eastbound and westbound) from Harvill Avenue at the east to Temescal Canyon Road at the west, replacing the two-lane roadway that currently exists. Between the I-215 southbound ramps and Harvill Avenue, three lanes would be constructed in each direction (eastbound and westbound), replacing this existing four-lane roadway segment. New striping is proposed along Cajalco Road, between Temescal Canyon Road and Grand Oaks; however, the limit of roadway construction at the west end of the project would end at Temescal Canyon Road. Left turn lanes and right turn pocket lanes are proposed to be constructed along Cajalco Road at selected intersections. The proposed alignment would generally follow the existing roadway and integrate the existing roadway into the proposed new roadbed, resulting in reduced construction costs with some deviations from the existing alignment are proposed for reducing impacts to some existing properties and to improve access.
West of Lake Mathews Drive and north of Lynette Lane, Cajalco Road would be realigned, bypassing the Hollis Lane residential area to the south, and include the construction of a bridge south of Lake Mathews. The new bridge would reduce grading impacts and provide opportunities for improving connectivity between habitat areas. A southern connection between Dirt Road and Lake Mathews Drive is under consideration for secondary access to residences in the Hollis Lane/Lynette Lane area.
Medians of various widths and types are proposed for Cajalco Road to provide for the separation of opposing traffic, provide a recovery area for out of control vehicles, allow space for speed changes and for left- and U-turns, and minimize headlight glare. In rural areas, cross-slopes would be included where appropriate to better conform to the natural terrain, break up the expanse of paving, handle drainage, and serve as potential water quality treatment areas. In habitat areas, the medians would be designed to accommodate small mammal crossings and include the installation of openings to avoid long continuous crossing structures.
Drainage improvements along Cajalco Road will be made and bike lanes considered along segments between Harley John Road and Temescal Canyon Road where the facilities may be accommodated in roadway design.
Widen Existing Cajalco Road between I-215 and Hollis Lane and between East of Eagle Canyon Road and Temescal Canyon Road; Construct New Segment of Cajalco Road between Hollis Lane and East of Eagle Canyon Road
Between the I-215 southbound ramps and Hollis Lane, the eastern portion of Alternative 2 would be the same as the alignment and changes proposed under Alternative 1. Between Hollis Lane and Eagle Canyon Road, the western portion of the proposed alignment would deviate from the existing roadway, and a new segment of roadway would be established through undeveloped land south of existing Cajalco Road. Specifically, just east of the Hollis Lane intersection with Cajalco Road, the roadway alignment would deviate from the existing alignment, extend west through undeveloped land, and turn north to transition back to join existing Cajalco Road east of Eagle Canyon Road.
From this point to the western terminus at Temescal Canyon Road, the proposed alignment would follow the existing roadway and include the reconstruction of the bridge at Temescal Canyon Wash, as described under Alternative 1.
Medians of various widths and types for Cajalco Road, as described under Alternative 1, would also be proposed under this alternative. Bike lanes are also under consideration for Alternative 2.
Based on community input received during the EIR scoping process, a new, north-south access connection to Cajalco Road is proposed that would extend La Sierra Avenue to the south, beyond its current southern terminus, connecting with the new segment of Cajalco Road. The new southern La Sierra Avenue terminus would occur at an intersection with the southernmost segment of Cajalco Road, west of Hollis Lane. Cul-de-scas would be added along the existing Cajalco Road just west of La Sierra Avenue, and to the est of Eagle Glen. The southern connection between Dirt Road and Lake Mathews Drive, as described under Alternative 1, would also be considered further under Alternative 2.
Under the No Project Alternative Cajalco Road would remain a two-lane roadway and many of its segments would continue to operate at unacceptable traffic levels similar to existing conditions. Implementation of this alternative would not address regional growth trends expected for this portion of the county. Additionally, current grade deficiencies in the existing roadway would not be addressed or corrected under this alternative.
Cajalco Road between I-215 and Temescal Canyon Road would not be widened or otherwise improved under this alternative. Implementation of this alternative would not improve connectivity between I-215 and I-15 in Riverside County and would not meet project objectives of providing improved speed, capacity, and turning movements to an existing roadway. This alternative would not provide the safety features associated with the proposed project and hence will not improve traffic safety of the existing Cajalco Road.
Lane closures/Detours: none planned
To be determined.
| Title | Date / Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| October 24, 2012 | NEPA Public Scoping Meeting #1 |
Lake Mathews Elementary School |
| October 25, 2012 | NEPA Public Scoping Meeting #2 |
Tomas Rivera Middle School |
| July 18, 2012 | Residents Association of Greater Lake Mathews (RAGLM) |
Lake Mathews Fire Station #4 |
| January 12, 2012 | Greater Lake Mathews Rural Trails Association | Kountry Folks Homestyle Restaurant 3653 La Sierra Avenue Riverside, CA 92505 |
| October 19, 2011 | Residents Association of Greater Lake Mathews (RAGLM) | Lake Mathews Fire Station #4 16453 El Sobrante Road Riverside, CA 92517 |
| September 29, 2011 | Public Scoping Meeting #2 | Lake Mathews Elementary School 12252 Blackburn Road Riverside, CA 92503 |
| September 26, 2011 | Public Scoping Meeting #1 | Tomas Rivera Middle School 21675 Martin Street Perris, CA 92570 |
To save file on your computer:
PC – Right-click on link, select “Save link as”
Mac – Ctrl-click on link, select “Download”
| Name | Completion Date | File Type |
|---|---|---|
| Project Update for Woodcrest and Mead Valley Municipal Advisory Councils | October 2012 | |
| 2012 Scoping Meeting Notice (English) | October 2012 | |
| 2012 Scoping Meeting Notice (Spanish) | October 2012 | |
| Public Presentation
View PPT |
September 2011 | PowerPoint |
| Public Presentation | September 2011 | |
| Cajalco Project – West End Alternative 2
Download Video (M4P) |
September 2011 | Video |
| Cajalco Project – West End Alternative 1
Download Video (M4P) |
September 2011 | Video |
| Cajalco Project – East End Alternatives 1 & 2
Download Video (M4P) |
September 2011 | Video |
|
Preliminary Typical Sections |
September 2011 | |
|
Preliminary Alignment Exhibit – West End |
September 2011 | |
|
Preliminary Alignment Exhibit – East End |
September 2011 | |
| Initial Study | September 2011 | |
| Notice of Preparation – English | September 2011 | |
| Notice of Preparation – Spanish | September 2011 | |
| Cheryl Donahue Public Relations cdonahue@arellanoassociates.com |
Mary Zambon Environmental Lead mzambon@rctlma.org |
| Scott Staley Project Manager cstaley@rctlma.org |
Frances Segovia Spanish Translator fsegovia@rctlma.org |
If you would like to receive public notices regarding this project, please fill out and submit the information requested below.
* Required field
Name * |
|
|---|---|
Email * |
|
Telephone * |
|
| Address * | |
| City * | |
| State * | |
| Zip * | |
If you would like to provide a comment, please complete and submit the form below.
* Required field
Name * |
|
|---|---|
Email * |
|
Telephone |
|
| Comments * | |