The $31million project was included in the 2007-11 capital- improvement program the City Council approved Tuesday night. The document lays out $106million 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, $57million, 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, the county's transportation authority, 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 it.
"This is one of the interchanges where traffic actually backs up onto the freeway," Donahue said.
At Tuesday's council meeting, Mayor Grace Vargas said the project's cost 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 Interstate 215 in San Bernardino increased in cost from $250million to $640million.
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 about which projects they take.
The entire $106million figure for Rialto's program represents money already allocated to projects currently under way and funding from a number of sources, including grants and money that will be spent over the next five years.
Aside from the road widening project above I-10, $18.3million 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 streetscape by spending nearly $1.5million over the next three years. It will also spend $8million to spruce up Foothill Boulevard and surrounding buildings.
The city will also spend $2.5 million to extend Pepper Avenue to the Interstate 210 extension.
Another major project is the $7.4million plan to prepare a site for a new $100million 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. The purchases include $180,000 for a new ambulance, $825,000 for two fire engines and more than $5million 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 City Park will also receive a $2.5million upgrade.
BS Ranch Perspective:
It seems that they are finally going to do what Fontana did about 10 years ago, and Rialto had slated to do 10 years ago but the Sierra Club, the one true friend to the Environment, stopped the expansion of the I-10/Riverside Crossing Bridge because of an Insect that is a natural Migrant to that area, but there is plenty of open areas down in the south end that have been built on without any stoppage from the Sierra Club, only when the City or Government wants to do anything is when they start to place a stoppage or argument, which I don't under stand.
I guess what they do, is threaten the large company that is getting ready to build a huge complex that they will close down the construction with law suits and a request for an environmental study, which takes a long time. Then the business gives a very large donation to the Sierra Club and all litigation is dropped, and they go away!! But the government doesn't play that game because it is Tax payers money.
The Sierra Club, should figure out that people should be wanting to give to their cause willingly and not through Non-Profit hijacking of their money and their company.
I think that the Sierra Club should Be Forced to pay for the $11 million difference from yesterday to today's cost in the expansion since the 1 acre of land that will be used to build on will be made better more access to cars and less accidents and loss of human life.
BS Ranch
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