Community Corner

Traffic Alert: Gilman Springs Road to be Shut Down for Expansion Project

The San Jacinto Valley artery will be closed beginning on July 22, and traffic is expected to be routed onto State Route 79.

A heavily used corridor through the San Jacinto Valley will be shut down for a multi-phase project that begins later this month, requiring motorists to find an alternate route of travel, Riverside County officials said Monday.

The $21 million Gilman Springs Road Safety Improvement Project gets underway on July 22. According to the county Department of Transportation, the initial phase of the work will continue until Aug. 9, during which time commuters will not have access to the artery.

An estimated 14,000 cars traverse Gilman Springs daily, said Department of Transportation spokeswoman Patricia Romo.

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The two-lane road provides direct access to the Golden Era compound run by the Church of Scientology and also serves as the primary southbound route leading to Mount San Jacinto College and one of the northbound routes to Beaumont and Moreno Valley.

The safety improvement project will entail resurfacing large sections of Gilman Springs, widening shoulders and curbs, adding passing lanes and enhancing centerline striping.

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During the 18-day closure, motorists will be detoured onto the Ramona Expressway and state Route 79 for all north- and southbound travel. People who live along the roadway will be permitted to use it.

According to the county, the first phase of the project was scheduled for midsummer specifically to minimize inconveniencing students enrolled at Mount San Jacinto College.

The second phase is slated to begin in October, but any exact date has been set, and the work will not require completely shutting down the roadway, Romo said.

The project is 51 percent funded by state gasoline excise tax revenue, 45 percent from Proposition 1B state bond sales receipts and roughly 4 percent from a direct -- $80,000 -- contribution supplied by Golden Era, according to Romo.

– City News Service.


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