Page 1 - The Friday Flyer ● JUNE 8, 2018
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CANYON LAKE’S NEWSPAPER  • JUNE 8, 2018






















           Perfect weather kicks off Taco                                             Firefi ghters respond                  Canyon Lake Little
                                                                                      to structure fi re on                  League season comes

           Tuesdays at lodge Pg. A3                                                   Old Wrangler Rd. Pg. A4               to an end Pg. A18







































                                                                                                                                                                 PHOTO PROVIDED BY CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE







           The overhaul of the Interstate 15 and Railroad
           Canyon Road Interchange Project is now fully
           funded and moving toward construction.
               Funding secured for I-15/Railroad





                        Canyon interchange overhaul







           BY DONNA RITCHIE                     continuous growth in the area and can  council.                             Lake  Elsinore  studied and considered
           EDITOR, THE FRIDAY FLYER             no longer adequately serve the commu-    In September, RCTC also approved  several alternatives and has decided to
             The overhaul of the Interstate 15   nity.                                $2.9 million  of 2018 State Transporta-  proceed with Alternative 2 for this phase
           and Railroad Canyon Road Interchange    Last month, the CTC approved 2.7  tion Improvement Program funding for  of the project.
           Project  is  now  fully  funded  and  mov-  billion  in  grants  for  the  64  projects  the construction.         Meanwhile, the City of Lake Elsinore
           ing toward construction. The California   statewide  from the  Road Repair  and   “This project now has full construc-  is preparing to start the extension of
           Transportation  Commission  (CTC)  ap-  Accountability Act of 2017, known as  tion funding, and we’re ready to move  Camino del Norte, which intersects with
           proved the final piece of funding needed   the transportation infrastructure gas tax  forward,” said City Engineer Brad  Main Street north of the I-15/Main junc-
           for construction at its meeting May 16.   bill  (Senate  Bill  1).  This  includes  $15  Fagrell.                tion.  The extension will connect  Main
           Regional planners conceived of the proj-  million toward construction of the first   The City of Lake Elsinore initiated  Street and Railroad Canyon Road with-
           ect 18 years ago.                    phase of the I-15/Railroad Canyon Road  the project in April 2000. In 2004 and  out requiring motorists to use the free-
                                                                                      2005, interim improvements were made  way.
                                                and Franklin Interchange Project.
             The project will result in several ma-
                                                   The second phase, slated  for devel-
                                                                                                                              “Our plan is to have this project com-
                                                                                      to  the  interchange  to  improve  opera-
           jor changes  to the current  interchange,   opment  in approximately  2035, would  tion and circulation. The City of Lake  plete  before  we  start  this  interchange
           including widening Railroad Canyon   create a new interchange near Franklin  Elsinore has been working with RCTC  improvement,” said Fagrell. “It is essen-
           Road under the  freeway, expanding   Street  between  Railroad  Canyon  Road  and Caltrans to expedite  the project  tial to create an alternate route to reduce
           the southbound entrance ramp to three   and Main Street to the northwest.  since October 2013.                   impacts of the Railroad Canyon project
           lanes, adding a northbound deceleration   The $15 million award will be supple-  Construction at the interchange  during construction.”
           lane and installing  northbound “hook”   mented by $17 million from the West-  should begin by 2020 and be completed   The  I-15/Railroad  Canyon  junction
           on and off ramps connecting  to Grape   ern Riverside Council of Governments  in 2022; however, an initiative petition  experiences  the  heaviest  traffic  during
           Street, which is parallel to I-15’s north-  Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee  is currently in circulation to repeal the  school  and  rush hour traffic when ve-
           east  side and intersects  with Railroad   program, completing the acquisition of  taxes and fees. If the initiative petition  hicles often back up from traffic signals
           Canyon Road.                         the $35 million needed to construct the  qualifies for the ballot and its approved  onto freeway lanes. On the opposite side
             The Railroad Canyon Road and I-15   project.                             by a majority  of voters, the I-15/Rail-  of the freeway, Railroad Canyon Road
           Interchange  is a significant  regional   “It’s  finally happening and relief is  road Canyon Road interchange project,  becomes Diamond Drive, conveying ve-
           transportation  corridor that  serves the  on its way,” said RCTC Commissioner  as well as other projects funded by this  hicles to Lake Elsinore’s lake, the Lake
           cities  of Canyon Lake,  Menifee,  Lake  and Lake Elsinore City Councilmember  source, will have insufficient funding to  Elsinore Casino and The Diamond sta-
           Elsinore  and  the  County  of  Riverside.  Bob Magee “I’ve worked for years on  be completed.                   dium.
           This interchange  has faced  increased  the transportation commission to obtain   The project is currently in the Plans,   For more information  on the I-15/
           traffic  congestion  and  unnecessary  de-  funding  for  this  project,”  said  Magee,  Specifications, and Estimate and right-  Railroad  Canyon  project,  visit  lake-el-
           lays for travelers for many years due to  who is now in his fourth term on the  of-way acquisition phase.  The City of  sinore.org/rrcyninterchange.
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