Ramsey Street Downtown Improvements Almost Complete

If your drive takes you through downtown Banning, you'll soon be able to enjoy a new, wider road in the area.

A road-widening project on Ramsey will wrap up by the end of the month, Banning Director of Public Works Duane Burk told Banning-Beaumont Patch on Thursday.  The work began in the third week of May.

Ramsey Street, between Martin Street and San Gorgonio Ave., is undergoing a face-lift right now, to accommodate the future increase of traffic in the area as the Banning Justice Center and the Village at Paseo shopping center are in the works.

Construction crews are also prepping for a future traffic signal at Martin Street, according to Burk.

This part of the project is costing approximately $489,000, and the money comes from previously allocated redevelopment funds the city received from the state—prior to the governor's elimination of RDAs.  It's helped put anywhere from 5-35 people to work on a given day, Burk added.