dug begley

When the Kelso Flyer left the train station in Barstow and passed wild canyons, towering sand dunes and rocky mountain ranges on its journey into the heart of the East Mojave, it carried people packed with expectations. The train picked up speed leaving the station, and riders pressed their faces to the glass. Some were Continue reading

Caltrans officials can see the writing on the wall. Efforts to improve aesthetics and tie freeways to the cities they travel through has led Caltrans and local officials to brand walls with everything from Riverside’s signature Raincross to silhouettes of mountains. The practice of prettying up walls started more than a decade ago statewide, but Continue reading

State legislators’ inability to adopt a budget is hitting travelers below the belt. Seven of the nine rest stops along freeways in San Bernardino and Riverside counties are closing today because Caltrans cannot pay a contractor needed to keep them open. Despite reports late Thursday that lawmakers hammered out a budget deal, workers will start Continue reading

PRIMM, NEV. – Dante Amis was unusually clean for a day at the desert races. The closest Amis could get to the racecourse was a fence line 30 or so feet away. His faded jeans didn’t have a spot on them at the Terrible’s Primm 300 last weekend in the southern Nevada desert. “I didn’t Continue reading

Las Vegas is a city built on the notion that the big bet can pay off. Or it can cost someone a bundle. When it comes to plans for high-speed trains connecting Southern California and southern Nevada, both outcomes might be true. At least three projects are in a race to carry vacationers and commuters Continue reading

Transportation engineers cannot say why a piece of concrete plummeted from Interstate 215 in Riverside to the city street below, leaving a hole in a section of freeway that crews overhauled less than four years ago. A section of concrete about 3 feet long and 2 feet wide fell about 5:40 a.m. Tuesday from a Continue reading

Off-road enthusiasts focus on safety changes, not criticism | Breaking News | PE.com – Press-Enterprise. Driving 70 mph through the hot Mexican desert a few years ago, Jim Patelli saw someone touch his fender. “They just reached out and … whoosh,” Patelli recalled. “It was crazy. We’re racing and the crowd thinks it can come Continue reading