(Weekend Closure)
Project Status: UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Drivers planning to use Route 60 through Riverside County’s Badlands should make other plans or allow extra travel time the weekend of August 7-10. A full closure of the westbound lanes will take place between Gilman Springs Road and the Interstate 10/Route 60 Interchange in Beaumont from Friday, August 7 at 9 p.m. to Monday, August 10 at 6 a.m. One eastbound lane also will be closed nightly after 9 p.m. and will reopen daily before 7 a.m.
The closures are needed for the Riverside County Transportation Commission’s Route 60 Truck Lanes Project, which began construction in June 2019. Crews will be shifting motorists onto the newly paved westbound lanes and moving k-rail into place to allow work to begin in the Route 60 median. Drivers should expect significant delays, allow extra time, and use Interstate 10 as an alternate route.
During the past year, crews have been excavating the steep hillsides to provide space to add a truck lane in both directions. Crews have excavated 1.6 million cubic yards of dirt, about 78 percent of the total needed for the project. During that time, crews also have constructed drainage systems using 7,000 feet of drainage pipe and are building two 20-foot by 20-foot wildlife crossings.
Paving of the westbound lanes began this June with an aggregate base, followed by a layer of hot mix asphalt, which was topped with a 12-inch layer of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement. The concrete will cure this week and next week before drivers shift to the new lanes the night of August 7.
OVERVIEW:
The Riverside County Transportation Commission, in partnership with Caltrans, is building the Route 60 Truck Lanes Project in the “Badlands” area of Riverside County. RCTC is the lead agency for the project.
The project is widening a 4.5-mile section of State Route 60 between Gilman Springs Road and 1.4 miles west of Jack Rabbit Trail between Moreno Valley and Beaumont. The project lies within mountainous terrain with a curving alignment and steep grades. When completed, the project will improve safety and efficiency and reduce traffic congestion for commuters, goods movement, and travelers to and from desert resorts. Project features include:
• Constructing an eastbound truck climbing lane
• Constructing a westbound truck descending lane
• Widening shoulders to standard widths – 12-foot exterior shoulders and 11-foot interior shoulders
• Establishing two wildlife crossings and placing wildlife fencing
• Improving motorist sight distance by flattening roadway curves
Construction is expected to open in 2022. Drivers are reminded to follow the 55 mph speed limit and watch for changing conditions.
Funding for the $113 million construction phase is provided by a combination of sources, including federal, state, and Measure A, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements in Riverside County.
The $113 million construction project is expected to be complete in 2022. For information, visit rctc.org/60trucklanes or follow the project on social media using @60trucklanes
-RCTC
Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle
Search: Weekend Closure
