New Avenue 66 bridge in Mecca to improve safety and traffic
The new Avenue 66 bridge in Mecca was built to improve safety, traffic and better connect the Mecca community. It comes after a couple of years of construction and over a decade of planning efforts.
The bridge connects the Mecca community from the 86 Expressway to the businesses, community services, and homes in the downtown area. It will provide much easier transportation access as well as safe biking and pedestrian access without the need to cross the train tracks.
The Avenue 66 bridge has a traffic lane in each direction, a barrier-separated lane for bicycle and pedestrian access, and includes the Mecca community logo in its design. The project also includes three new intersections with traffic signals.
It will open to traffic on Monday, March 14.
The community is invited to the ribbon-cutting of the bridge on Saturday at 11 a.m. Supervisor V. Manuel Perez and the Riverside County Transportation Department will be in attendance.
The community event will have a performance by Mariachi Nuevo Amanecer, display vehicles by local agencies, light refreshments, and the ribbon cutting of the new bridge.
Construction for the Avenue 66 Grade Separation Project started in May 2020. The project was made possible by a multi-million dollar contract from the Transportation and Land Management Agency.
Before the bridge was built, a roundabout was connecting the streets in Mecca. But trains pass through the area several times a day often causing gridlock and forcing drivers to wait several minutes to get through.
