Beginning in January, Winchester Road on-ramps to the northbound 15 Freeway in Temecula will be closed — one at a time — for about one month each.
The usually-busy street is home to the Promenade Temecula mall and many shops, eateries and businesses. City officials already are spreading the word about the closures on social media and with electronic message boards in town. Thought the project’s goal is to ease freeway traffic in the area, some business owners already are concerned.
The first ramp to close will be the one used by vehicles driving west on Winchester Road to jump onto the northbound 15 toward Riverside.
This ramp — next to a Starbucks — is often used by drivers coming to the freeway from the mall or French Valley. It will shut from Sunday, Jan. 12, through Friday, Feb. 14, a Temecula news release states.
After that work is complete and the ramp reopens, a northbound ramp across the street will be closed as crews continue to connect new lanes. This loop-shaped ramp, for drivers coming from Jefferson Avenue and the west side of town who want to go north on the 15, will be shut Tuesday, Feb.18, and reopen Friday, March 14, officials said.
That won’t be all.
After these closures, Temecula officials said in an email and in a Facebook post that a full weekend closure — 55 hours long — of both northbound ramps on Winchester Road will take place. But they aren’t yet sure when.
“Once we get through this, there will be one more long-term weekend closure where we do the final work to tie in these ramps,” said Avlin Odviar, the city’s principal civil engineer.
Longtime Temecula resident Laura Bruno was philosophical about the work.
“In the long run, it’s going to be worth it,” she said.
The work is part of a $138.8 million project to target congested areas on the 15 in Temecula.
In 2019, the city won a $50 million federal grant from the U.S Department of Transportations to address freeway congestion in Temecula.
During the ramp closures, crews plan to finish the final touches on the freeway’s retaining walls while continuing to work on the bridge widening over Santa Gertrudis Creek, a biking route in the heart of the city, a Temecula Facebook post states.
Once the work is complete, drivers will be able to enter the freeway from Winchester Road or French Valley Parkway and have dedicated ramps onto either the 15 Freeway or the 215 Freeway, Assistant City Manager Greg Butler said. On-ramp traffic will be separated from freeway traffic, which officials hope will ease traffic backups on the 15.
The project is set to open in May, Odviar said.
“The work that we have to do here is pretty intense, so that will result in full, continuous closures of these ramps where you won’t be able to use it, and it won’t be reopened the next day for a month at a time on each of these ramps,” Odviar said.
Some businesses on Winchester Road aren’t looking forward to the closures.
“It’s going to be obnoxious,” said Robin Patino, who owns the Lady of the Lake antique book and gift shop off Winchester Road.
Patino emphasized that her customers are already finding it difficult to access her store because of construction on Jefferson Avenue in front of new hotels being built.
“We’ve had several customers say that they’ve opted not to come to our store because they just couldn’t get here,” she said.
“Closing the on-ramps for that long is crazy,” Patino said. “It’s going to make it a gridlock for people trying to access this plaza.”
Bruno is not as worried about the closures.
“Yes, it will be a little inconvenient, but as long as people plan ahead, we’ll be alright, and I think that anyone who has lived here for a long time knows that,” Bruno said.
To help drivers follow detours, signs on the freeways will direct vehicles during each closure, Temecula spokesperson Christine Damko said.
Drivers can use Rancho California Road and Murrieta Hot Springs Road as detours, city officials said.
For updates on the project, click here.
