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Improvements to Lost Road will cause some temporary road closures throughout the rest of the month.
When done, it will have a black top finish though it will not have a solid road bed under it. Usually the road needs maintenance yearly and with this method a full three years is anticipated between fixes.
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| I was going under 15 MPH when this truck flew past me doing at least triple what I was doing. |
I've lived in Wildomar since 2001 and have never driven on Lost Rd. It's on the other side of the freeway from where I live and it's not a path to anywhere I've ever needed to go. So I decided to take a drive on it before it got paved.
Talk about a rough road. I never could get above 20 MPH in my Honda CRV and many times was reduced to under 10 MPH. I'm sure it'll be a night and day difference once the project is finished, but I'm not sure that won't just make the road all the more dangerous.
"How's that?" you ask.
It was just one blind corner after another and once the road is smooth enough to travel at 60+ MPH it won't take long before two Dale Earnhardt Jr wannabees meet up with each other.
I made a video of my trip on Lost Road. It took more than four and a half minutes to make the 2 mile drive so I sped it up by 6 times, simulating about 75 MPH. You'll notice in the video that the last half mile of the road (on the Lake Elsinore side) had already been treated.
The video below is a look at the public comments from Sheila Urlaub at the most recent city council meeting on the topic of Lost Road and her concerns.
• • •
Where lies the land to which the ship would go?
Far, far ahead, is all her seamen know.
Far, far ahead, is all her seamen know.
— Arthur Hugh Clough
That's too funny Joseph. I bet that pretty sign is half the cost of the job, one never knows when government hides the cost. It was no surprise that one had to go to the Lake Elsinore website to find information on this project. On a more serious note, this roadway needs to be revisited as a TUMF project because with the completion of Holland Rd. into Menifee and the additional homes in the Canyon Hills area, this makes Lost Road a regional connector, it won't be long before this minor work is torn all to hell. One can only hope that a wildlife crossing is considered when they properly improve it.
ReplyDeleteKenny Mayes
I've heard that city hall is in the middle of upgrading the city's website. Still, having this info on the website (and emailed out to those that have signed up for "Stay Connected") would have been nice.
DeleteI'm sure that doing the road fully up to code would be in the neighborhood of ten times more money (to properly grade it and add a road bed) but at some point Lost Road will need to be fully modernized and I include that all the way down Lemon where much of the pavement is five years overdue for resurfacing.
The area at the start of lost road used to be dirt but was "improved" a year or so ago. With regards to connector roads you should also try cottonwood canyon. Not only does it connect to Bundy but many more Wildomar residents actually LIVE on that road. As usual Ken makes comments that are half accurate. One problem with this improvement is that it does not put any safety measures into place for those who live at the bottom of lost road, since people come flying down that road at 50mph. Other concerns include why are we improving a road that is not wide enough to support steady two way traffic or not improving lemon road or the fact that this resurfacing has not reduced accidents on the road. I am disappointed because while the road improvements will help some Wildomar residents who like to use it the main benefactors of this are thousands and thousands of lake Elsinore residents that are "trapped" by their city's desire for more and more houses. If we are going to do something like this than we should do it right. Stop signs, lemon road improvements, blind driveway signs, etc. A conversation with residents who live at the bottom of this project should have been done so that fixes for safety could have been part of this project. Much focus and time has been with a few residents who live at the top, these people live off lost road on a private road. Their needs and complaints are heeded while those at the bottom are generally not. Drive canyon hills out to Murrieta RD and you will find stop signs such as those needed on lost/lemon road. Again if we are going to do it lets do it RIGHT. Sheila
ReplyDeleteIt does seem that by taking the surface bumpiness out of the drive that many more will begin to use Lost Road, and at speeds are in excess of what is safe.
DeleteConsidering that at the most recent city council meeting Wildomar settled with an accident victim for $27k, for a collision on Bundy Canyon (assuming my memory isn't failing me), that any major accidents on Lost Road would lead to similar settlements with potentially higher payouts if "safety measures" aren't put in too.
Sheila - can you say NIMBY. Progress is going to happen whether you like it or not. Why would the city ask anyone for their opinion they learned well from the county that and the fact the citizens of Wildomar don't seem to give a S---. How many people were at the last council meeting, not counting government officials, one handful, same as always. (Except for when Walmart paid for pizza in exchange for an appearance). Over the years the city council has successfully ignored citizens concerns to the point they quit going to the council meetings.
DeleteKenny Mayes
Kenny
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to address your final sentence where you said, "Over the years the city council has successfully ignored citizens concerns to the point they quit going to the council meetings"
I didn't go to my first city council meeting until late in 2013 so I have no idea what went on in the past. Still, basic reasoning says that when there are multiple sides to an issue, only ONE will be approved and those in the other contingent(s) will fell as if they'd been "ignored".
Looking at the ringleaders of the longtime opposition to anything that passes the city's desk, I find it hard to believe that they EVER were reasonable, and were always demanding and threatening. They obviously were never taught the proverb about honey & vinegar and which attracts more flies.
Well put Joseph.
ReplyDeleteKen I am not sure what you mean by NIMBY with regards to lost road and progress whether I like it or not. You complain about everything and anything, progress, no progress, growth, no growth, etc. My statements are focused on if we must do this lets do it correctly. As was done on canyon hills to Murrieta road. I also think our priorities for road improvements needs to be revisited and reviewed so as to provide benefits and safety for Wildomar residents. All this improvement does in ensure more wear and tear on Wildomar streets caused by increased usage from lake Elsinore residents. And ri question how much this reduces our particulate count(as if there was that much traffic on the dirt road) or why that matters enough to not to it correctly .sheila