The Road Ahead: A Message from the RCTC Chair

RCTC — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 15:55:10 +0000

It’s 2023, and RCTC is off to a great start. I am humbled and honored to have been elected RCTC Chair once again by my fellow Commissioners. The work RCTC does for Riverside County is vital to meeting the needs of our residents and to the greater southern California region. A safe, efficient, reliable, and affordable transportation system is the glue that connects our communities and supports our economy.

RCTC was created in 1976 because our residents wanted a local transportation vision to support our region’s growth and economy. Riverside County residents responded to this vision by voting in 1988 and again in 2002 to approve Measure A, a half-cent sales tax to provide dedicated local funding for transportation infrastructure across our county the geographic size of New Jersey. In doing so, we took control of our transportation destiny. Since then, the Commission has worked tirelessly to deliver transportation projects and programs that support and evolve with our population growth, keeping us connected and thriving.

Bob Magee, RCTC Chair

The results of the Commission’s work have been staggering. From extending Metrolink service through the 91/Perris Valley Line, to the widening I-215 from Murrieta to Perris and providing ongoing funding for numerous interchanges along I-10 and the 111 in the Coachella Valley, to the 91 Corridor Improvement Project, RCTC doesn’t stop working. Using local, state, and federal funds, RCTC has helped invest billions of dollars in transportation projects. Not only does this investment help people travel, but it also generates thousands of jobs. The bottom line is that the Commission has kept the promises made to Riverside County residents and has done so with remarkable success, delivering transportation solutions for our region. Our County is better off because of it.

In 2022 alone, RCTC hit significant infrastructure milestones with the opening of:

Route 60 Truck Lanes;
The I-15 Railroad Canyon Road Interchange;
The I-215 Placentia Avenue Interchange;
The I-15 Interim Corridor Operations Project; and
The 91 Corridor Operations Project.

Together this represents over $870 million in transportation infrastructure investment in Riverside County.

Construction of the 71/91 Interchange project in the city of Corona

While we continue to build projects like the 71/91 Interchange Project in Corona, work toward securing funding to upgrade track along the 91/Perris Valley Line, continue construction on the 15/91 Express Lanes Connector in Corona, and complete the environmental documents for the Coachella Valley Rail Project, now is the time to plan and prepare for our transportation future.

Nearly 50 years ago, our communities came together to seek a transportation vision. Now we need to consider what the next 50 years will look like for transportation in Riverside County. We will have to tackle issues like expanding multimodal transportation options that include bus transit and passenger rail, reducing traffic congestion, and identifying ways to meet state and federal clean air and climate goals while supporting the needs of our communities, goods movement, and growing our economy. Here’s the good news: RCTC has been incredibly successful in delivering innovative transportation solutions for Riverside County. I am confident that the Commission, guided by the voices of our residents, can work together to plan and deliver a transportation system that doesn’t just work for the next 50 years but for the next 150 years.

So get ready, buckle up, and enjoy the ride with us.

Robert “Bob” Magee
2023 Commission Chair

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RCTC continues delivering transportation solutions in Riverside County as new officers begin terms

RCTC — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 15:56:47 +0000

The Point: Commissioners appoint V. Manuel Perez as new Chair, Bob Magee as First Vice Chair, Lloyd White as Second Vice Chair

Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez became the new Chair of the Riverside County Transportation Commission. He succeeds outgoing Commission Chair Jan Harnik, whose term concluded December 31. Lake Elsinore Council Member Bob Magee and Beaumont Mayor Lloyd White were also selected from among fellow commissioners as First Vice Chair and Second Vice Chair respectively. All three officers have been active Commissioners on RCTC. Their terms began in January.

Chair Perez represents Riverside County’s Fourth District. He joined the Board of Supervisors in 2017 after serving three terms in the California State Assembly, including as the majority leader. He also previously served on the Coachella City Council and the Coachella Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees. Born and raised in the Coachella Valley and the son of immigrant farmworkers, Perez went on to graduate from UC Riverside and Harvard University.

First Vice Chair Magee has served five terms on the Lake Elsinore City Council, including six times as mayor. Second Vice Chair Mayor Lloyd White was first elected to the Beaumont City Council in 2014 and is serving his third term in office.

Perez, Magee, and Lloyd will lead the 34-member Commission, which consists of the five Riverside County Supervisors, a mayor or council member from each of the 28 cities across the county, and Caltrans District Director Michael Beauchamp, who is a non-voting member.

During the year ahead, RCTC will continue work to secure funding for high priority projects, including those that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities, such as the next environmental phase of the Coachella Valley Rail program, a planned 144-mile, twice-daily passenger rail service from downtown L.A. to the desert, as well as other projects to help move goods and provide multimodal transportation options to reduce highway traffic congestion.

In addition to the 91 Corridor Operations Project that opened on January 6, RCTC will see the completion of three significant highway projects this year – the Route 60 Truck Lanes in Riverside

County’s Badlands between Moreno Valley and Beaumont, the I-15 Railroad Canyon Road Interchange in Lake Elsinore, and the I-215 Placentia Avenue Interchange in Perris. Construction is set to begin this year on the I-15 Interim Corridor Operations Project between Corona and the Temescal Valley, the Moreno Valley/March Field Station Improvements Project in Riverside, and the 71/91 Interchange in Corona. Environmental studies will kick off on the I-10 Highland Springs Interchange in Banning and Beaumont, while design work will begin on the second contract for the Mid County Parkway east of I-215 in Perris.

RCTC also will continue to implement the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority’s Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan. The plan aims to preserve 500,000 acres of land to provide habitat to 146 protected native species and expedite environmental approvals for transportation and development projects.

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The Road Ahead: A Message from the RCTC Chair

RCTC continues delivering transportation solutions in Riverside County as new officers begin terms