Measure A Provides Needed Support for Local Streets and Roads in Riverside County

The before-and-after photos of East Ramsey Street and Hathaway Street in Banning tell the story. Formerly one lane in each direction with cracked pavement, faded lane striping, no traffic signals, and zero landscaping, the road needed some enhancements. A recently completed City of Banning project paints a whole new picture for this area and offers a warm welcome to the city with two freshly paved lanes in each direction, turn pockets, a signalized intersection, landscaped medians, new sidewalks, curbs, gutters, storm drain facilities, median landscaping, and a city monument sign.

The project began in July 2021 and was completed a year later, funded in part by Measure A, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements in Riverside County. Measure A provided the City of Banning about $1.5 million of the $4 million project cost based on a distribution formula. Cities and the County of Riverside receive Measure A for local street and road projects to supplement their capital improvement program budgets.

The Ramsey Street and Hathaway Street project was designed to enhance motorist and pedestrian safety. The new signals improve traffic flow and reduce potential accidents while facilitating movement of trucks to and from Robertson’s Rock and Sand Quarry north of the intersection.

Further west, the City of Wildomar completed a $765,000 road maintenance and rehabilitation project to replace existing asphalt on Grand Avenue and Lemon Street. Wildomar used approximately $150,000 in Measure A funds for final design and construction administration, in combination with state Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account funds and Measure AA local sales tax revenue. This project also included crack seal and slurry seal of about 60 residential streets citywide.

Work was performed from October 2021 to January 2022. Like the City of Banning project, the before-and-after images are striking.