Planning Contract Set for Corona-to-Hemet Road

The Riverside County Transportation Commission awarded a $5-million consultant contract Wednesday to launch planning for an east-west corridor between Corona and Hemet, the first financial commitment to the controversial road.

The $500-million roadway, which will dip south of Lake Mathews near the habitat of rare species, is expected to face intense scrutiny.

“It’s a pretty extensive environmental review process,” said John Standiford, spokesman for the commission. The company with the contract, Jacobs Civil Inc., will essentially do all of the environmental study required by state and federal laws, he said.

Earlier this year, the Transportation Commission picked Cajalco Road as the preferred route for a new east-west corridor, which they hope will improve traffic in the western end of Riverside County. But the commission is split over whether the route should be a freeway.

The commission staff and several commissioners envision it first becoming a parkway and then, as traffic increases, a freeway. But other commissioners and scores of nearby residents say it ought to become nothing greater than a tree-lined parkway, because a freeway will ruin the area’s rural character.

The contract approved Wednesday covers the first phase of the environmental review, a precursor to conducting environmental studies that will be considered by the commission, as well as numerous state and federal agencies.

Over the next nine to 12 months, Jacobs will conduct a preliminary environmental assessment and some engineering analysis and explore options for choosing the precise route and roadway width.

The Transportation Commission approved the agreement on a 19-0 vote, with Calimesa Mayor Shenna Moqeet abstaining because she is new to the panel.

Bob Buster, a commissioner and county supervisor, questioned whether the contract mandates enough public outreach.

“This is a huge undertaking, and it deserves a maximum amount of communication with those affected,” he said.