The public will soon have a new way to get around the city as the final touches on the Holland Road Overpass are nearing completion. The overpass is expected to be ready for public use by the end of the day on Tuesday, October 22. A ribbon-cutting will be held on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
The Holland Road Overpass creates a new, four-lane overcrossing between Antelope Road and Haun Road along Holland Road over the I-215 Freeway.
The project includes bike lanes and sidewalks in each direction. It incorporates several design features, including a cobblestone rock blanket slope, decorative barrier rail and bridge lighting, and Mechanically Stabilized Earth retaining walls. The improvements also involve realigning Willowood Way and a new cul-de-sac at Dutch Circle.
“The Holland Road Overpass is a critical infrastructure project for our city that will alleviate traffic on Newport and Scott Roads and help reduce commute times for our local residents,” Mayor Bill Zimmerman said. “This project has been a long time coming for our community and we are so grateful to be here at the finish line.”
Full-scale construction of the Holland Road Overpass began in January 2023. The project includes over 20,000 square feet of retaining walls, 2,700 tons of asphalt, over 4,400 cubic yards of concrete, and over 900,000 pounds of rebar. Two new traffic signals have also been installed on Holland Road at Haun Road and Hanover Lane.
The overpass required significant coordination with the California Department of Transportation, District 8 (Caltrans), and local utilities, including Southern California Edison and the Eastern Municipal Water District.
The $35 million project was funded through a variety of local sources. Over $4 million of the funding for the project was paid for by Menifee’s Quality of Life Measure. Passed by Menifee voters in November 2016, the Quality of Life Measure (also known as Measure DD) approved a one-cent sales tax to provide local funding that cannot be taken by the state.
The funding provided by the measure has allowed the Menifee to maintain and enhance numerous city services including road safety and traffic mitigation, as well as public safety services. $10.25 million for the overpass was funded through the Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) program administered by the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG).
Additional work on the overpass will continue through February 2025 while the bridge remains open to the public, including sidewalk completion, landscaping, and traffic signal installation.
