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Riverside receives $7.8M grant for improving pedestrian, cyclist, driver safety By Staff
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iverside has received a $7.8 million federal grant to attempt to reduce traffic collisions involving pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists, the city announced Friday.
The Highway Safety Improvement Program funds will cover the costs of projects that intend to improve the visibility of traffic signals; increase the safety of pedestrians at all signalized cross-
ings by allowing them to enter the crosswalk in advance of vehicle drivers; and build a raised barrier median along a portion of Mission Inn Avenue, according to the city of Riverside.
Riverside County Spelling Bee returns to in-person competition
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By City News Service and Staff
iverside County's Spelling Bee will feature more than two dozen students from charter, private and public schools, gathered in-person for the first time in three years, turning words into points for a chance to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The 45th countywide Spelling Bee will be held Thursday at the Moreno Valley Conference & Recreation Center, where 27 contestants are slated to take the stage following bees in 2021 and 2022 that were all-virtual. The 2020 bee was nixed when then-county Public Health Officer Cameron Kaiser declared a Coronavirus public health emergency. The 2021 and 2022 events were held online due to ongoing precautionary measures implemented by the county Office of Education. Last year, Corona-Norco Unified School District eighth grader Lara Randhawa claimed the county championship title after correctly spelling "cumulocirrus," which is an upper See Spelling Bee Page 28
"The grant is the largest amount awarded to a single project out of 282 projects which were selected for funding in the state," the city said in its announcement of the grant, which requires Riverside to contribute $1.2 million in matching funds — so roughly $9 million in safety improvements are imminent. “Our City continues to take proactive steps to increase safety by bringing state resources to Riverside,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. “These improvements will make our roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists, while reducing the number and severity of vehicle crashes.” The city detailed the forthcoming improvements that include:
-- “a raised median barrier project and enhanced surfacing on Mission Inn Avenue between Redwood Drive and Scout Lane to reduce the number of collisions and wet-road crashes; -- “retro-reflective backplates on 400 traffic signals citywide that make the signals more visible, boost driver awareness of the signals, and reduce collisions; -- “implementation of Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) timing at 400 traffic signals citywide, which increases safety by giving pedestrians and cyclists 3-7 seconds to start their path across the street before cars start driving, which increases the likelihood of vehicles yielding.” In September the City Council approved the grant application to the California
Department of Transportation, which administers the federal program in California. The grant application was supported by the Riverside and Alvord school districts, which wrote letters supporting the traffic safetyimprovement goals. “Creating a safe and accessible environment for residents in the City of Riverside is a priority,” Mayor Pro Tem Clarissa Cervantes said in a statement. “We are grateful to the school districts for their support of this grant application, which will make our roads safer for the community at large.” More information on the grant is available at https://riversideca.legistar. com/View.ashx?M=F&ID =11172341&GUID=7905 D79C-2F22-441C-964624890A478501.
Storm damage causes road closures throughout Riverside County
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By City News Service
ultiple roads throughout Riverside County were closed Tuesday because of mud, wash-out damage, standing water and other hazards stemming from the latest storm. According to the Riverside County Transportation Department, Elm Street between Bonita Avenue to the north and Adele Avenue to the south, which frequently floods and was closed last week because of storm-related damage, was closed at about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday. Just east of Temecula, Anza Road was shut down between De Portola and Linda Rosea roads, a roughly half-mile stretch, when mud flows caked both sides of the two-lane corridor around noon. An SUV driver was stuck in the muck until a pickup truck driver pushed him clear of the mud, according to the California Highway Patrol. In the community of De Luz, west of Temecula, De Luz Road was closed from Carancho Road down to the San Diego County line, covering almost 10 miles, because segments of the road were flooded during downpours, officials said. See Storm damage Page 28