By Jason Pesick, Daily Bulletin Staff Writer Article Launched: 10/09/2006 12:00
RIALTO - The long-awaited widening of the Riverside Avenue bridge above the 10 Freeway is one of 131 projects the city hopes to complete in the next five years.
The $31 million project was included in the 2007-11 Capital Improvement Program the City Council approved Tuesday night. The annual document lays out $106 million in major purchases and construction projects.
The plan, which city officials stress is dynamic and subject to change, focuses on upgrading the city's infrastructure, improving facilities, public safety and the city's appearance. Most of the funding, $57 million, will be used for transportation and flood-control projects, while about one-quarter is aimed at redevelopment proposals.
"The focus over the last couple of years has been transportation," said Mike Story, Rialto's development services director.
Cheryl Donahue, a spokeswoman for San Bernardino Associated Governments, said the Riverside Avenue bridge project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2008 and will likely take 20 months to complete. She said the city first started doing work on the project in 1997, but a lack of funding and environmental requirements have delayed the project.
"This is one of the interchanges where traffic actually
backs up onto the freeway," Donahue said.
At Tuesday's City Council meeting, Mayor Grace Vargas said the project has increased from about $11 million since 1997.
"All of our projects are seeing just gigantic increases in costs," Donahue said. She said the widening of 215 Freeway in San Bernardino increased in cost from $250 million to $640 million. She attributed the increases to building material shortages, which are in large part the result of the tremendous amount of construction taking place in China. She also said contractors have tended to be more selective in which projects they take.
The entire $106 million figure for the program represents money already allocated to projects currently under way, funding from a number of different sources, including grants and money that will be spent during the next five years.
Aside from the road-widening project above 10 Freeway, $18.3 million is dedicated to the Willow Winchester Neighborhood Revitalization Project, which will refurbish a condominium complex in an effort to decrease blight in the area.
The city will continue to revitalize its downtown street-scape by spending nearly $1.5 million in the next three years. It will also spend $8 million to spruce up Foothill Boulevard and the surrounding buildings.
The city will also spend $2.5 million to extend Pepper Avenue to the 210 Freeway.
Another major project is the $7.4 million plan to prepare a site for for a new $100 million regional biosolids processing facility.
Many of the projects are improvements to city buildings, such as the Senior Center. For example, the plan calls for replacing roofs and air-conditioning units in city buildings.
The city also plans to purchase a number of public safety vehicles. These purchases include $180,000 for a new ambulance, $825,000 for two fire engines and more than $5 million for 29 police vehicles through 2011.
The soccer fields at Jerry Eaves Park will be illuminated thanks to a $900,000 grant from the county. Rialto Park will also receive a $2.5 million upgrade.
BS Ranch Perspective:
The plans outlined in this article are very strong and imaginative! They are very good Ideas, but some they have already been told to pound sand by the environmentalist groups that they will take them to a very pricey court battle, I am talking of coarse about the Pepper Ave Extension and Onramps to the Interstate 210 freeway! They need to be done, because the City needs more of a reach to the Freeway then just Riverside, Ayala, & Alder Avenues! Pepper would be great and it would also give that eastern reach to the on ramp. Plus they can extend complete the extension also to the Frontage Road (Highland Ave) if they would Extend Pepper fully to the next step, that would also relieve that traffic off of the Frontage road, from Easton Ave. Off of Riverside.
I do realize that the Fire Engines that they got when the Utility tax was voted in was five years ago, and that one or two are ready to be rotated out and new ones rotated in, but there is still the problem of the equipment for the Police Department! The radio's that they have are good and it is better now that the Police Officers have their radio's Issued to them. I do feel that they should get all the money's worth with the radios and get the Direct Connect telephone service with them, because without that you are wasting money and the police Officers time.
Most of the Ideas are good ones, I feel that they are missing a few things however again it's the support of the Police Department.
BS Ranch
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