Idyllwild commuters to Hemet and west might be interested in the following information that Cal Trans just sent.
Cal Trans will be conducting maintenance work on Highway 74 over the next two weeks. On Mondays through Fridays, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Sept 7 to 20, there will be flagging on Hwy. 74 between Cranston Station and State Route 243 (Mountain Center). Cal Trans and Cal Fire will be doing landscape work.
I assume its more likely related to fire abatement than highway beautification, despite Lady Bird’s urging.
State Route 74 in Riverside and Orange Counties was damaged over the weekend by the storm. There are two locations where the route sustained slipouts: One just below the "Dome House" or post mile 9.6 in Riverside County (Caltrans District 8), and one between the "Candy Store" and San Antonio in Orange County (Caltrans District 12).
Orange County Update: Damage to the location in Orange County is now under emergency contract and the completion date is unknown at this time. Below are the hours the route will be open to through traffic by direction only (to accommodate commuter traffic):
Eastbound traffic will be given access between 2:30 pm and 5:30 am until further notice.
Westbound traffic will be given access between 6:00 am to 2:00 pm until further notice.
For future updates to the emergency repairs on the Orange County section of Hwy 74, please contact Caltrans District 12, Public Affairs, at (949) 724-2000 or go to Facebook under "Caltransdistrict12".
Riverside Update: There is no emergency contract for the Riverside location of damage. Maintenance crews will be working to make repairs tomorrow, Tuesday, March 22, from 8:30 to approximately noon. During this time the route will be under one way traffic control. These repairs are expected to be completed tomorrow.
This is what everyone wants to see and know. Hwy 74 from Hemet to Mountain Center opened at 4:15 p.m. today. This is the first traffic (going west — toward Hemet) across the new section.
Much thanks to CalTrans and their contractor — Skanska
I'll post more photos on my blog and more breaking news about IFPD, too. Just too much in one day for this blog.
Good News: Highway 74 may open late tomorrow afternoon, according to Terri Kasinga, Public Information Officer, CalTrans Maintenance - District 8. All the work may take weeks, but the Highway will be safe for traffic sometime this weekend. "We're hoping if everything goes perfectly, it will open 3 p.m. Saturday," she said today. "If some problems occur, it may be Sunday or Monday."
The roadwork is not complete and CalTrans will have work along the side of the road to complete the total repair and to remove the chance that water can build and wash it out again. This wok will occur over the next two to three weeks and could result in some traffic delays and road work flagging, but the Hwy 74 between Idyllwild and Hemet will still be open to use.
Oh yes, for all of you living east of Idyllwild and coming through Palm Desert, the road closure begins at Mountain Center to Hemet. Highway 74 to Mountain Center and Highway 243 from Mountain Center to Banning is totally opened. No need to turn around in Garner Valley, you can continue on to Idyllwild. Please visit tomorrow and have a nice weekend.
Now the bad news, the San Jacinto Ranger District will close Thomas Mountain (FS road 6S13) on Monday, Feb. 15. This closure is for public safety because of the road conditions and the chance of ice, mud, rock slides, washouts, flash flooding, slippery road surfaces and snow.
The closure will be in effect until further notice, pending road and weather conditions.
Firewood collection permit holders can still collect firewood at two other areas: Fern Basin and Idyllwild West (behind the Idyllwild Arts Academy). If this closure leaves firewood permit holders unable to collect all the firewood purchased, extension will be issued. Please contact the Idyllwild Ranger station for more information (909) 382-2922.
Here is the latest for tomorrow's bus ride to Hemet.
For those similar to me who can't read the memo, let me put the locations and time here:
Stop Pick Up Drop off 243 @ Knotty Pine Cabins 5:17 AM 4:34 pm 243 @ Franklin 5:19 4:36 243 @ lakeview 5:21 4:39 243 @ Pine Cove Market 5:23 4:49 N. Circle @ Fern Valley Crnr 5:35 4:32 S. Circle @ John Muir Rd 5:37 4:31 S. Circle @ Daryll 5:38 4:30 Village Ctr @ Hemet Fed'l 5:42 4:27 Idyllwild Elem School 5:45 4:25 Mtn Center @ Taylor's Lodge 5:55 am 4:15 pm
These times are effective tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 9 until further notice.
The Hemet High School late activity bus will resume this afternoon. However, the drop off times had to be changed because of the Highway 74 closure.
Late Activity Bus StopDrop Off Time
Mountain Center @ Taylor’s Lodge6:45 pm
Idyllwild Elementary School 6:55pm
Hwy 243 at Knotty Pine Cabins7:00 pm
Hwy 243 at Franklin Dr7:03 pm
Hwy 243 at Pine Cove Market7:12 pm
The HHS Transportation Department is requesting the most current contact information and phone numbers so that the Parent Link system will help spread the word about these and future transportation changes. The Transportation Department may be reached at 7658-5100ext 5880.
From Terri Kasinga of CalTrans, this memorandum arrived a few minutes ago.
A $1 million emergency contract will secure a contractor, who may begin work as early as Tuesday, February 9.Expect the route to remain closed for at least one week.Updates will be provided as the work progresses.
Residents in the area have been permitted to move within the closure with identification, however, they are not permitted near or through the washed-out section of SR-74.
For access to Idyllwild, motorists may still use I-10 to SR-243, SR-74 from the Palm Desert area, or SR-371 from Anza.However, the section of SR-74 from Hemet to Mountain Center will remain closed until repairs are made.
CalTrans says the repairs to Highway 74 should be done within four to five days. yes, 4-5 days, according to Shelli Lombardo, public information officer, Caltrans District 8.
The plan is to issue an emergency contract and begin work shortly. Caltrans is currently in the
process of estimating repair cost and acquiring the contractor. As soon as the Town Crier has confirmation work has begun, we'll take some photos so that you can be sure also.
Riverside County Sheriff's Office already has adjusted its patrol and routines. Deputies patroling the Hill will be expected to be on the road more and less office time during this period.
The county Office of Emergency Services is also aware of the emergency and will be prepared to respond if problems expand, especially if Wednesday's weather causes any new road blocks or closures.
Here is this morning's Hazardous Weather Forecast:
late Tuesday into Wednesday...
upper level low pressure will move over southern
California bringing the possibility of isolated
thunderstorms with brief heavy rain...
locally heavy mountain snow...and low
snow levels down to 3000 to 3500 feet.
This includes a possibility of 3 to 7 inches of snow.
Thanks to Superintendent Pendley and Trustee Bill Sanborn for providing this information for those who may have missed the parent link call or other reasons:
The Hemet Unified School district Director of Transportation, Michael Fogerty, has shared the district’s transportation plan until Highway 74 is repaired:
1) For Monday, February 8, 2010, the home to school bus servicing Hemet High School will depart the transportation facility one (1) hour prior to it's normal departure time. This bus will be re-routed via either Highway 243 or Highway 371 and will arrive to it's bus stops approximately one (1) hour earlier than normal for the morning pick ups and arrive one (1) hour later for the afternoon drop offs.
A parent link regarding these different pick up times was sent to the affected student's residences at 11:08 am on Sunday, February 7, 2010.
The message sent on Parent Link is as follows:
"Highway 74 has been closed. We anticipate the closure to continue for an extended period of time. As a result, on Monday, February 8th your student will be picked up at their bus stop approximately one hour earlier and dropped off at their bus stop approximately one hour later. A temporary schedule will be distributed to your student when they disembark from the bus on Monday. In addition, there will be no late activity bus available until further notice. If you have any questions, please contact the Transportation Department at (951) 765-5100 extension 5880. Thank you."
Additionally, there are three (3) students who ride this bus from the Cranston Ranger Station and Lypp's Ranch. These three (3) students have been notified that they will be required to utilize the Shultz and Highway 74 bus stop until further notice due to the closure of Highway 74.
This route also services HAAAT, APA and Alessandro students. Instead of transferring these students at Hemet High School onto other buses in the morning, the route bus will transport these students to these additional sites directly after delivering students to Hemet High School. I have included the administrators of these sites in this e-mail to ensure that they are aware of the road closure.
2) The late activity bus out of Hemet High will be canceled until further notice. Notification was given to parents via the parent link.
3) I will meet with my staff on the morning of February 8, 2010 to discuss any further necessary changes to the home to school bus servicing Hemet High School students. A new schedule will be created and parents will be notified of the pick up and drop off times to be in effect February 9, 2010 via a written memorandum to students as they disembark from the bus on Monday, February 8th.
4) The two (2) special education students residing in the Idyllwild and Pine Cove areas will be transported in a District vehicle to be driven by Priscilla Larsen. Ms. Larsen has more than 20 years experience driving in the Pine Cove and Idylwild area. I have notified both of the parents of these students regarding these arrangements. The drivers of the routes that these students normally ride have been notified that they will not be transporting these students. Hence, there will be no impact to these routes.
5) All drivers who utilize Highway 74 have been notified to report to work 1.5 hours earlier than normal so that they can re-route to Garner Valley and Anza via Highway 371. There will be no impact to the Anza schools due to the road closure and all Anza transportation schedules will remain the same for the students.
6) I have also identified a Mt. San Jacinto College student who is transported home on Wednesday afternoons via school bus to an address on Tollgate Rd. Every other day of the week the student is transported to and from Bautista Creek Elementary by the parent who is a teacher at that site. This student will be transported home on Wednesday afternoons by Priscilla Larsen in the District vehicle until Highway 74 is re-opened.
7) Transportation office staff will be reporting to work at 3:00 am on Monday, February 8, 2010 to ensure that all transportation runs smoothly and seamlessly.
The goal of this planning is to ensure that there is minimal impact to students, parents and site staff due to the road closure. Undoubtedly, this plan will evolve and incur changes. I will keep you informed with any new information as it becomes available.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.
