More than $8.6 million in funding for transportation infrastructure projects connected to pedestrian and bicycle crossings, enhanced turn lanes and wheelchair-compliant ramps will be distributed to the Inland Empire, it was announced Thursday.
Several projects within the region will benefit from the latest round of California Transportation Commission allocations, which total $830 million statewide, according to Caltrans.
“These investments will help provide the next generation of transportation projects in California, strengthening efforts for bridge maintenance and renovation, increasing safety for people who walk and bike, expanding equitable access and continuing support for the movement of goods and services that fuel the state’s economic engine,” Caltrans Director Tony Tavares said in a statement.
The largest distribution in Riverside County — $1.9 million — is earmarked for a bike and pedestrian network project in Perris, officials said.
The project entails installing new bike lanes, high-visibility crosswalks, sidewalks and bike repair stations on Redlands Avenue, between Placentia Avenue and Tahoe Street, as well as on Citrus Avenue, between Redlands and Perris Boulevard, Caltrans reported. Renovated curb ramps are also planned.
The next largest appropriation is $1.6 million for upgrades along Highway 86 in the Oasis community 1 mile south and 1 mile north of 81st Avenue. Officials said left-turn lanes will be expanded and improved, and new signals will be installed at the turnouts.
The smallest Riverside County appropriation is $170,000 for a curb repair project in Moreno Valley, where 66 ramps at 27 intersections will be modified for compliance with American with Disabilities Act standards, according to Caltrans.
San Bernardino County will receive $5.1 million for a safety improvement project that is underway on the 210 Freeway in Upland. The project spans from three-tenths of a mile west of the Mountain Avenue Overcrossing to one-tenth of a mile east of the overcrossing.
The project “includes reconstructing lanes 2 and 3, the outside shoulder of westbound SR-210, and adding an additional inlet on the westbound Mountain Avenue on-ramp,” according to Caltrans.
The allotments are covered by funds from the federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act 2021 receipts and state Senate Bill 1 Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017. SB 1 raised fuel taxes at the pump to generate transportation dollars.
