The Point: Improvements will improve safety, access, and economic development on 8.6-mile section of Ramona Expressway in County of Riverside
More than half of the planned length of the Mid County Parkway transportation corridor moved a step closer to construction following the Commission’s approval of the final design contract and other agreements last month.
The project team will develop construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates to improve 8.6 miles of Ramona Expressway from Warren Road to about one mile east of Rider Street in the County of Riverside. The Mid County Parkway Ramona Expressway segment is within the full 16-mile Mid County Parkway project planned between Route 79 in the San Jacinto Valley and Interstate 215 in Perris.
RCTC will be submitting state grant funding applications for project construction in November and December. Residents and businesses are asked to show support by adding your name to our list of supporters.
Also known as the MCP, the new east-west corridor will open economic opportunities, reduce travel times, and expand access to employment and education for residents and businesses of Riverside County. The improvements will promote transportation equity for this long-underserved area and connect to Route 79, Interstate 215, and transit facilities that support Metrolink’s 91/Perris Valley Line and Riverside Transit Agency routes. With this connection, the Perris and San Jacinto Valley communities will have access to multiple modes of travel.
The MCP Ramona Expressway segment consists of one lane in each direction with a passing lane between 5th Street and Bridge Street. Proposed improvements will add two new lanes to provide two lanes in each direction, build a raised median with delineators to separate the eastbound and westbound lanes, construct a new bridge over the San Jacinto River, modify three intersections with traffic signals, add a signalized intersection, and build a wildlife crossing.
This area of Ramona Expressway has a history of vehicle collisions. Between 2017 and 2022, the County of Riverside reported 31 collisions, of which 14 were fatalities and 17 resulted in severe injuries.
Severe Injuries and Fatalities on Ramona Expressway
31
TotalCollisions
Between 2017 and April 2022
Source: County of Riverside
31
Total Collisions
Between 2017 and April 2022
Source: County of Riverside
RCTC has partnered on the MCP Ramona Expressway segment with the County of Riverside, which contributed $1 million toward future construction. Final design is anticipated to be completed within two years. If funding is secured, construction could begin in 2025 and take an additional two years.
Construction of the Interstate 215 Placentia Avenue Interchange in Perris, the first MCP segment, began in August 2020 and is scheduled to open this fall.