Riverside County supervisors Tuesday scheduled a May 7 public hearing on a proposed railroad crossing in Jurupa Valley that would separate vehicle and train traffic, making travel easier and faster for both.
The proposed Jurupa Road Grade Separation Project, which the county Transportation & Land Management Agency is overseeing, would involve reconfiguring the current at-grade crossing for the Union Pacific Railroad line on Jurupa, just east of Van Buren Boulevard.
Jurupa is a heavily used four-lane travel corridor, and TLMA officials noted that traffic disruptions are common at the existing rail crossing in order to facilitate both freight and commuter trains.
The project would entail creating an overpass that trains would use and vehicles could pass under, providing a free flow of traffic.
“The project will … eliminate conflicts between railroad operation, residential and commercial vehicular traffic, and is expected to improve vehicular traffic circulation,” according to a TLMA statement.
The county is in talks with the owner a key parcel needed for the project to move forward. According to officials, a gas station is being constructed at the site, and the property owner, Jurupa Road Oil, has not yet accepted initial offers from the county for acquisition of the land.
The May 7 hearing will permit an open discussion about the potential challenges and concerns from both the owner’s and county’s perspectives.
The estimated right-of-way acquisition cost is $2.59 million, according to the TLMA. Additional easements will be needed from surrounding property owners, as well, the agency said.