Gilman Road Safety Project Slated to Begin in October

Next month residents of Moreno Valley may expect road closures along Gilman Springs Road as construction begins on phase two of the $21 million Gilman Springs Road Safety Improvement plan. Phase two of the five-phase safety improvement plan will “rehabilitate the pavement, widen the shoulders and realign several curves along Gilman Springs Road starting southerly of SR-60 to approximately 1.7 miles southerly of Alessandro Boulevard,” according to the project’s website. The second phase will also include the construction of a left-turn pocket at the Gilman Springs Road and Alessandro Boulevard intersection and a southbound passing lane starting south of Alessandro. The project website states, “Gilman Springs Road will be closed between State Route 60 to Bridge Street and Alessandro Boulevard will be closed from Theodore Street to Gilman Springs Road for 45 days. Access will be maintained for local residents, businesses and their employees when construction is in progress and during the road closure.” A $4,985,803 contract with Griffith Co. was approved by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors earlier this month for the construction efforts; the project website states that “a portion of the project is being done in cooperation with the City of Moreno Valley.” In total, phase two is expected to complete at a total $6.6 million, according to the project website. Phase three of the project is slated to begin sometime next year and will include the flattening of horizontal curves and will begin approximately 1,000 feet north of Sublette Rd. west and extend south to approximately 150 feet south of Sublette Rd. east. This project includes new pavement, roadway signs and markings, reflective pavement markers and a center-line rumble stripe. Phases four and five will include the construction of passing lanes and traffic signal improvements at the SR-79 northbound and southbound ramps; construction will begin at a date to be determined. The Riverside County Transportation Department, the City of Moreno Valley, the City of San Jacinto and Caltrans are all cooperating on the Gilman Springs Road Improvement project. [END] The second segment of a five-phase, $21 million construction project to improve the safety of Gilman Springs Road starts in October and may close the route for 45 days. The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a $4,985,803 contract with Griffith Co. of Santa Fe Springs on Sept. 10, for improvements at the northwest end of the two-lane road from Highway 60 in Moreno Valley southeast to Jackrabbit Trail. Part of the 1.7-mile stretch of road is in the Moreno Valley city limits, so the city is sharing in the project cost. The county Transportation Department will announce in advance the temporary closures affecting Gilman between Highway 60 and Bridge Street, and Alessandro Boulevard from Gilman west to Theodore Street. The contractor is allowed to work from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week and has 60 calendar days to complete the job. The improvements include curve realignments, shoulder widening, addition of a passing lane and left turn picket and pavement rehabilitation, a county staff report states. The first phase was completed in July north of the city of San Jacinto. The road is used by about 14,000 cars a day, many of them commuters, college students, commerce and visitors headed to the Soboba Casino. For more information, visit the project website or call 877-672-7765.