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I‑215 Bi‑County HOV Gap Closure Project
At its December 9 meeting, the Commission allocated “up to” $30 million in State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds for design and construction of the I‑215 Bi‑County High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Gap Closure Project. The $177 million project is scheduled to start construction in 2011 and is projected to be completed by 2014. Project sponsors include the San Bernardino Associated Governments and the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC). In addition to the STIP funding, SANBAG will provide $147 million.
Construction of the HOV lanes is scheduled for 2011
The 7.5 mile project will provide immediate traffic relief along I‑215 from SR‑60 to Orange Show Road in San Bernardino by closing the gap between carpool lanes being built north of Orange Show Road in San Bernardino and the 60/91/215 interchange in Riverside. The I‑215 currently has three lanes in each direction; the addition of a carpool lane will occur by rebuilding the outside and inside freeway shoulders and restriping the lanes to allow for three general purpose lanes and the new carpool lane in both directions. HOV lanes encourage ridesharing and improve the efficiency, safety, and operations of traffic moving between the two counties.
2010 Election of Officers — Supervisor Bob Buster Elected Chair of RCTC
Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster was elected to serve as the Commission’s new Chair for 2010. Cathedral City’s Greg Pettis will serve as First Vice Chair and Supervisor John J. Benoit will serve as Second Vice Chair.
Buster was first elected to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in 1993 and has actively championed a number of transportation projects that included initiating the process to put the SR‑91 toll roads back into public hands.
Greg Pettis has served on the Commission since 1999, and has been on the city council since 1994. He has served on a number of regional boards including the Southern California Association of Governments and the League of Cities.
Benoit, who was appointed to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors this month, will serve as the Commission’s Second Vice Chair. He has extensive political experience and most recently was a California State Senator, representing the 37th district.
On the Move — RCTC’s Annual Report
 One of RCTC’s primary responsibilities is to administer the voter‑approved Measure A half‑cent sales tax program first approved by voters in 1988 and subsequently renewed in 2002. The Measure A program will provide billions of local dollars for transportation projects for the next 30 years. Annually, RCTC publishes a report called On the Move to provide a status report on the voter approved Measure A Expenditure Plan.
Click here for a PDF of the 2009 edition of On the Move.
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