Clinton Keith Interchange Completion Marked by Ribbon Cutting

Save for a few that will linger into this week, lane closures are a thing of the past near the Clinton Keith Road interchange at Interstate 215 in Murrieta. It is also back to business as usual for merchants at The Orchard-Stone Creek Shopping Center.

About 75 officials from the City of Murrieta, Cal Trans and Riverside County gathered with the business community Monday morning to cut the final ribbon, signifying the completion of the 20-month, $25-million project.

While the construction began in November 2009, the project has been in the works since 1998.

Murrieta Mayor Randon Lane said he was on the city's Planning Commission when the project was being introduced.

"So it is nice to see it come to fruition," said Lane, recalling when not too long ago, the roadway was two lanes over the bridge and the cause of traffic backup.

Allan Davis, developer of The Orchard-Stone Creek Shopping Center, said his involvement began in 2004. It included some monetary contributions for both the Linnel Lane overpass and the Clinton Keith project.

"It is great to have the interchange and roadway complete to handle the traffic," Davis said. "It has been painful for the businesses throughout the construction process. But we welcome back those customers who have been avoiding The Orchard-Stone Creek Center.

"We also appreciate the city recognizing our financial contributions along with those of the public agencies."

The project included creating new loop ramps to Interstate 15 and widening Clinton Keith to six lanes from McElwain Road west of the interstate to Whitewood Road on the east, also improving traffic flow for Vista Murrieta High School.

"I'm sure that will be a welcome addition for our staff and parents to have that overpass open," said Karen Parris, spokeswoman for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. "It will greatly enhance traffic flow around the school."

Not only is the project a milestone for the Murrieta community, it is the first project in the county to be completed with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Funds for the project were administered on a county level by the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC).

"ARRA was intended all along to inject money into the local economies to create jobs as quickly as possible and to make sure that transportation projects took place," said Greg Pettis, RCTC chair and Cathedral City council member. "We looked for projects that were ready to go and that needed money in the middle of the economic downturn."

Lake Elsinore Mayor Pro Tem Bob Magee sits on the county transportation commission as well, and said he worked to move the funds to the Murrieta project.

"We have a tangible improvement that is moving people and putting them to work," Magee said.

Cal Trans Deputy District Director of Design, Christy Connors, said the project's completion will enhance the Interstate 215 widening, which is underway now.

Funds for the project also came from Western Riverside Council of Governments' Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee and from city redevelopment coffers.

While there are still a few finishing touches for the project, including landscaping design at the freeway on-and off-ramps, the Clinton Keith Bridge was open to traffic Monday as were the ramps.

Included in Monday's ribbon-cutting ceremony was the extension of Whitewood Road to Baxter Road, which services Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta.