A stretch of Avenue 66 in Mecca will close starting Friday night for weekend road work connected to the construction of a new bridge in the unincorporated community.
Crews will completely shutter Avenue 66 between state Route 86 and Highway 111 from 8 p.m. Friday through 4 a.m. next Monday, according to the Riverside County Department of Transportation.
During that time, no vehicles or pedestrians will be allowed through. A nearby SunLine bus stop on SR-86 at Avenue 66 will additionally cease service.
Entry to a shopping center at the corner of Avenue 66 and SR-86 comprising an AM-PM mini-mart and Starbucks coffee shop will not be hindered, officials said.
The work is related to the Avenue 66 Grade Separation project, which is expected to save motorists time getting into or through Mecca. Work on the project began last May and is slated to conclude by the end of this year.
The project entails building a two-lane bridge over an irrigation channel to connect both sides of Avenue 66, which will allow motorists to avoid contact with freight trains traveling north and south at the location.
It will serve as the secondary access point to Mecca. The original primary access point was at Fourth Street, where residents and visitors were previously forced to wait for the train tracks to clear before entering and exiting the community.
Additional closures are slated for the duration of the project.
Updates on the project’s status can be found at www.ave66project.com/construction-updates/.