“It is an Interstate highway, and for the state and feds to ignore it is, frankly, a crime I think,” he said. “We need to start showing the public that we are planning for infrastructure even though we don’t have the money right now,” he said.Īnd Speake said it is time for Riverside County to lobby aggressively for state and federal dollars to improve roads like the 15 Freeway, which serves much of California and the western United States. 40 million Californians ordered to stay home to halt coronavirusĪt the same time, the commission set the stage for a May 13 adoption of a long-term blueprint for transportation improvements - called a traffic relief plan - that were targeted for new sales-tax cash.Ĭommissioner Wes Speake, a Corona city councilman, said he favors adopting the plan even though the tax is off the table.These Riverside County freeways and roads could benefit from an $8.8 billion sales tax.$8.8 billion Riverside County sales tax takes step toward November 2020 ballot.Coronavirus slowdown: Orange County toll road traffic plunges 67%.91 Express Lanes users to get new sticker transponders, and for many, a savings.“I don’t think it was the right time to go to the public with a new tax - an additional tax - and one that had no end date,” he said. You can also make a payment using our automated phone system at (800) 600-9191. “The polling didn’t come back very strong to begin with,” Commissioner Kevin Jeffries, a Riverside County supervisor, said by phone Friday.Įven in the best of times a tax increase is a strong sell, Jeffries said, and the measure would have faced certain defeat given the sharp economic downturn triggered by the coronavirus crisis. The easiest way to pay a violation is online, click here.You will need your license plate number. And the commission’s initial polls, taken in spring 2019, indicated about 68% of voters - barely enough for passage - would support it. Transportation tax measures require two-thirds approval to take effect. The proposal envisioned a tax without an expiration date. The agency’s staff had been working on a plan to place a sales-tax measure on the November ballot to raise $8.8 billion in 2020 dollars countywide and $6.7 billion on the county’s more populous west side. The commission voted almost unanimously, with Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez dissenting, to not put the measure to the voters. “So it would be almost punitive to charge those fees right now.”Ĭommissioners also decided to shelve the idea of asking Riverside County voters to tax themselves an additional half-penny on the dollar to pay for freeway, rail and other transportation improvements. “We understand people aren’t traveling as much,” he said. But in the wake of coronavirus-related layoffs and the large number of people working from home, many drivers are not using the lanes, Standiford said. Other parts of the 91 in Corona, including its eastbound lanes and ramps, have also seen closures for construction in recent months.The two agencies are in the process of moving customers to the sticker transponders, which cost less to operate.Īctive commuters usually easily exceed the base amount and aren’t charged the fee. “This weekend closure is especially significant because it is a westbound closure,” Hake said. The 15/91 Express Lanes Connector project will link the two freeways’ express lanes to reduce congestion and increase safety, while the 91 Refresh Project includes repaving lanes and making repairs to walls and barriers. 24, Deputy Executive Director Aaron Hake said the closure will allow for work on two projects: the 15/91 Express Lanes Connector and the 91 Refresh Project. However, the 15 will remain open.Īt a Riverside County Traffic Commission news conference Tuesday, Jan. The closure includes the westbound 91 Main Street on-ramp and off-ramp, the westbound 91 Lincoln Avenue off-ramp, the westbound 91 Express Lanes, and the westbound 91 connectors from the 15. The closure will allow construction crews to remove support structures above the 91 and to repave lanes. The 91 west will be closed from the Freeway 15 to Lincoln Avenue from Friday, Jan. Drivers who plan to travel west toward Orange County on the 91 Freeway through Corona this weekend should anticipate traffic delays due to a full closure of the westbound lanes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |