Clinton Keith/I-215 Work to be Completed June 30, City Says

The highly-anticipated and ongoing construction of the Clinton Keith Road widening and freeway overpass is expected to be wrapped up by the end of June, a City official said Tuesday.

The project hit some delays due to utility reworkings that had be manuevered differently across the widened bridge, according to Pat Thomas, city engineer and public works director.

Thomas gave an update to City Council about the Clinton Keith project and others underway around town.

Construction has been stalled by an Eastern Municpal Water District water main relocation and a utility vault that Southern California Edison is moving to the west of the freeway. Until that work is completed, the bridgework is in limbo. Other utility delays include Time Warner Cable and AT&T, Thomas said.

All the utility work is expected to be done by June 19, allowing project completion by June 30.

The median of the six-lane roadway will be landscaped, which adheres to the City's recently adopted streetscape plan.

Nearby, Meadowlark Road--recently renamed Whitewood Road--will open to traffic on June 6 after final paving on June 1, Thomas said. The road acts as a connector to Baxter Road, which serves Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta.

Across town, the Ivy Street bridge over Murrieta Creek is moving along. The project started in October 2010. The bridge will be done by August, and the improved roadway will be done by October, Thomas said.

The California Oaks Road project at Interstate 15 started this month and is a 14-month job, with an estimated completion date of July 2012. The roadway will be widened to six lanes, with newly configured on- and off-ramps to avoid any left-hand turns on or off the interstate.

Thomas said the road elevation will be lowered two or three feet to allow a higher clearance level under the bridge. Lane closures are occurring this week on California Oaks Road between Madison Avenue and California Oaks Plaza.