dug begley

Officials believe a proposed downtown Riverside shuttle carrying county workers to and from a temporary parking lot east of Highway 91 is the answer to a small problem. But it still doesn’t fix the city’s ongoing problem of the freeway barring some local movement and splitting city transit options. The shuttle, called Route 54, would… Continue reading

Gasoline prices are marching into springtime at record highs, and some drivers are already bracing for cutbacks in their car use if prices stay this high for long. “If I could, I’d park my truck right now,” said John Isner, 41, of Riverside. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Riverside… Continue reading

Even when he’s not driving — just standing on Southern California freeways — Caltrans maintenance worker Maurice Coggins has his eyes on the road. “You never feel safe out here,” Coggins said as traffic whizzed by along Highway 60 near Interstate 15. “It’s like post-traumatic stress disorder.” He and other Caltrans workers — and probationers… Continue reading

It’s beginning to feel a lot like springtime 2008 around Southern California. Warmer weather. Check. Presidential election heating up. Check $4 gasoline prices. Check, unfortunately. After a winter of slight increases, the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the Riverside-San Bernardino region leapt 16 cents in eight days — and a… Continue reading

A persistent Perris bottleneck along Interstate 215 is almost a thing of the past. A new eight-lane bridge spanning the freeway is set to fully open next week, ending years of stop-and-go traffic as drivers tried to enter and exit the freeway via an outdated two-lane overpass. “It’s not been pleasant at times,” said Perris… Continue reading

Drivers and local officials continue to express frustration over a massive weekend traffic jam on Interstate 10 in the San Gorgonio Pass and Coachella Valley, and were joined Wednesday by federal officials. Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, wrote U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, asking him to look into the matter. “It has happened… Continue reading

Caltrans overseers of a construction project along Interstate 10 have been reassigned after a construction breakdown left drivers inching along the freeway for hours Sunday, backed up as far as Palm Springs. Banning Mayor Don Robinson said Caltrans District 8 Director Ray Wolfe assured local officials in an email that the matter is being dealt… Continue reading

It’s not possible to silently widen a Southern California freeway, but workers connecting carpool lanes along Highway 60 near Moreno Valley are coming close. The $56 million East Junction project will connect the carpool lanes east of where the 60 merges with Interstate 215 to the carpool lanes west of the interchange. via RIVERSIDE: East… Continue reading

A 25-mile backup of cars Sunday on Interstate 10 in Banning has Caltrans officials apologizing for a calamitous delay that trapped some drivers on the freeway for hours and sent others back to the Coachella Valley to find circuitous alternate routes. “Boy, it was nasty,” said Chris Faber, 66, a Murrieta resident who was briefly… Continue reading

Aside from grumbling about how they wished Caltrans would have done it sooner, drivers are applauding a decision to open the car pool lanes along Highway 60 in Moreno Valley to solo drivers during non-peak hours.But officials are cautiously optimistic of the success thus far, saying the benefits are still being evaluated and that drivers… Continue reading