RCTC - Commission Connection





	Opening Day Perris Valley Line Station Priorities Established On its opening day of service in 2011, the Perris Valley Line extension of Metrolink’s 91 Line service is expected to stop at five new stations in Riverside County. This is based on the unanimous direction of the Riverside County Transportation Commission to move forward with station development in Riverside, Moreno Valley and Perris. As part of its action, the Commission also voted to delay development of two potential stations at Fair Isle and at the Ramona Expressway to a future date. The five stations that are expected to move forward for opening day include stations at South Perris near the I-215 and State Route 74, Downtown Perris, Moreno Valley/ March Field, UC Riverside and a site near the Hunter Park Business Center in Northern Riverside. The stations will vary greatly in size and scope; for example the Downtown Perris station will be part of a larger multi-modal transportation center which includes a bus transit facility and park-and-ride lot while the station at UC Riverside is intended to only provide direct access to the campus and for drop-offs with no parking in order to lessen impacts on the surrounding community. The five stations are part of a $168 million effort to extend existing Metrolink service into more of Riverside County. The 23-mile extension will utilize rail tracks that have provided limited freight rail service for more than a century and were purchased by RCTC in 1994. For more information on the project please visit http://www.perrisvalleyline.info. Perris Valley Line Receives Senate Support Senate appropriators have approved $50 million in federal funding for the Perris Valley Line project as part of the Senate Transportation Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. The funding was made possible by Senators Feinstein and Boxer and is consistent with recommendations from the Federal Transit Administration and the White House, which had previously included the $50 million amount in the proposed federal budget for next year. The fate of all spending bills is somewhat uncertain until after the election in November. However the actions by the Senate and the FTA give the Perris Valley Line project a demonstrated basis of support that will be helpful in future funding decisions.

RCTC Approves Funding for Lake Elsinore SR-74/I-15 Interchange

The Riverside County Transportation Commission has approved $2 million in Measure A Western Riverside County Regional Arterial funding to the City of Lake Elsinore for the improvement of the I-15 Interchange at State Route 74 (Main Street). This is the first regional arterial project to receive funding from the new Measure A program approved by voters in 2002, which officially commences in July 2009.

Several other arterial projects have been submitted by jurisdictions in Western Riverside County and will be evaluated later this year for potential funding allocations. Funding for this project was accelerated because the project will be ready to be advertised for construction this summer. It has received necessary permits from the State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and scores high on a technical basis for congestion reduction, cost-effectiveness and safety improvements.

The project will increase interchange capacity while improving traffic flow and eliminating bottlenecks on State Route 74. The total project cost is expected at $5 million.

RCTC and OCTA Adopt State Route 91 Implementation Plan Update

RCTC, along with the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), has approved an annual update of a comprehensive plan of transportation improvements between Riverside and Orange counties. The plan was mandated by state legislation that allowed OCTA to purchase and operate the 91 Express Lanes. The document includes highway, rail and transit projects that are contemplated in the State Route 91 corridor over short, medium and long-term time horizons. For a copy of the report, please see: http://www.rctc.org/better91.asp

Updated RCTC Commission Meeting Information

The Riverside County Transportation Commission will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs, CA at 9:30 a.m.

RCTC also maintains a speaker’s bureau that actively makes presentations throughout the county on transportation issues. If you are interested in scheduling a presentation for your service club or community organization, please contact Eliza Echevarria at (951) 787-7141 or eechevarria@rctc.org.

Transportation in the News

Agencies look to expand Dial-A-Ride fleets to handle increased service calls
(Press-Enterprise, 7/23/2008)

New bus lines, longer hours, among transportation proposals submitted to Riverside County agency
(Press-Enterprise, 7/22/2008)

While environmental studies are running late, an official says the proposed Mid-County Parkway is on schedule
(Press-Enterprise, 7/18/2008)

Metrolink offers commuters answers to gas prices -- but not parking
(Press-Enterprise, 7/17/2008)

Rail Plans on Track
(Press-Enterprise, 7/12/2008)

Inland, other counties draw line at highway funds, ready plea to lawmakers
(Press-Enterprise, 7/12/2008)