The final phase of the $88 million Clinton Keith Road extension— from Interstate 215 freeway to Highway 79 — is nearing completion in Southwest Riverside County.
On Wednesday, local dignitaries held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the upcoming opening of the project's final piece. That work includes extending Clinton Keith Road from Leon Road to Highway 79. When it officially opens to traffic before the end of 2023, the extension's final segment will connect with the existing intersection of Highway 79 and Benton Road, county officials said.
Final improvements also include the construction of two large drainage culverts and two water-quality detention basins for stormwater management.
This project will provide improved access to French Valley, Lake Skinner, and Wine Country for residents and visitors alike.
Since the mid-1990s, the County of Riverside Transportation Department — with the cooperation of cities such as Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee and Wildomar, as well as local agencies — initiated the Clinton Keith Road extension. The six-lane, east-west corridor was necessitated by increased traffic from rapid growth in the French Valley and Murrieta area, according to officials.
Before the extension, the only two east-west roads between the 215 freeway and Highway 79 were the two-lane winding Los Alamos Road and the heavily congested Scott Road.
Funding for the extension project came from a variety of sources including the Riverside County Transportation Commission (Measure A funds), the Western Riverside Council of Governments Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fees, community facilities district, and developer fees.
The previous three phases of the Clinton Keith Road extension project were completed by 2018. The first phase, finished in 2011, began with the widening of Clinton Keith Road to six lanes between the 215 freeway and Whitewood Road. In March 2016, the extension continued to Leon Road with four lanes, and in 2018 was expanded to six lanes.
Once the extension is finally completed, the Clinton Keith Road project will serve 14,000 vehicles daily with a long-range projection of more than 35,000 vehicles a day, according to county officials.
Learn more about the history of the Clinton Keith Road extension project at rcprojects.org/clintonkeith.
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