Wildomar's Most Dangerous Intersection Expected To Be Safer By Year's End

As work on Clinton Keith Road overpass in Wildomar begins wrapping up, some may be wondering when one of the city’s most dangerous intersections will be fixed.

The answer is “very soon,” according to a city official.

The Clinton Keith Road at Hidden Springs intersection has long been a trouble spot in the city. The signal at the busy intersection lacks a left-turn arrow for those traveling on Hidden Springs making a turn onto Clinton Keith Road. As a result, there have been many crashes at the crossing.

During Wednesday night’s Wildomar City Council meeting, Mayor Tim Walker asked staff to provide an update on when residents can expect relief at the intersection.

Wildomar City Engineer Dan York said plans for the left-turn signals are near completion and the project is expected to go out to bid after the overpass work winds down this month. 

Installation of the new signals at Hidden Springs is expected by the end of this calendar year, York added.

On March 23, 2011, then Wildomar City Manager Frank Oviedo announced the city was receiving $99,000 in grant funds from the Caltrans Highway Safety Improvement Program to be used to install LED left-turn signals at the Clinton Keith/Hidden Springs intersection.

The intersection is also being made more pedestrian-friendly, with pedestrian push-button signals, sidewalk construction, as well as upgrades to corners and curb ramps. Some of the work has been completed as part of the bridge expansion project.

From 2001 to 2010, a total of 85 traffic collisions occurred at the crossroads of Clinton Keith and Hidden Springs – the highest number of collisions at a Wildomar city intersection, according to documentation provided by then Wildomar Public Works Director Tim D’Zmura, who worked to secure the Caltrans grant.

Of the 85 accidents, more than 30 broadside-collisions involving left-turning vehicles occurred. In total, 59 injuries and one fatality resulted, according to D'Zmura's documentation.

In addition to the $99,000 Cal Trans grant, the city will use $11,000 from the Measure A Traffic Signal Program as the required local match, according to D'Zmura.

Not far from the Clinton Keith Road intersection on Hidden Springs is the Catt Road intersection. According to York, developers who are proposing projects in the area have agreed to step up safety at that intersection. However, there are no formal plans approved by the city at press time.

Motorists driving across Clinton Keith Bridge in Wildomar now have added lanes, pedestrians have sidewalks, and freeway ramps and traffic signal synchronization is almost complete. On Aug. 23 at 8:30 a.m. there will be a ribbon cutting to celebrate. The public event is planned to take place on the north side of Clinton Keith Road, along Catt Road, next to USA Gas. 

A consultant on the Clinton Keith Road bridge expansion project, Dennis Green, said although the ribbon cutting takes place this month, motorists should still expect to see workers in the area putting final touches on the construction, but he added there should be no impact to traffic.