Old Town’s ordinary Main Street Bridge is slated for replacement, with construction anticipated to start in March of this year. The existing bridge, built in 1945, marked a historic era in the Old Town area, and helped spark the growth and boom of Temecula’s downtown. The existing Main Street Bridge is now over 60 years old and ripe for replacement. The bridge currently lacks adequate pedestrian access across Murrieta Creek and has become outdated as building standards have become more stringent and construction methods have become increasingly modernized.
Construction is anticipated to last one year with completion being anticipated in March of 2014. The bridge will be demolished and removed and Main Street at Murrieta Creek will be closed during the duration of construction. Pedestrian and vehicular access in and out of the Old Town area will be available at the First Street Bridge across Murrieta Creek and at Rancho California Road. All businesses, including, Pennypickles Workshop and the Temecula Community Theatre will remain open during construction, and access to the residences located on Main Street will also be maintained.
The new and improved Main Street Bridge will be a welcomed addition to the bustling and consistently urbanizing Old Town area. The new enhanced bridge will include 10-foot wide pedestrian sidewalks, pedestrian view points for creekside and wildlife observation, landscape beautification and decorative streetlights. The project will include a rustic steel truss bridge and heavy stone gateway pillars marking the entrance into the heart of Temecula’s historic district. The bridge will cost approximately $4.8 million dollars. 90% of the construction costs are funded by a federal grant.
For more information about this project please call Amer Attar, Principal Engineer at the City of Temecula at (951) 506-5162.