Fallbrook roads undergo a facelift

Karen M. Ossenfort

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Fallbrook roads are getting a facelift, and you may have been caught in some traffic as a result of it.

According to Mario Arellano, a spokesman for the County Department of Public Works (DPW), the “AC Overlay 16/17” project launched on South Mission Road at Clemmons Lane to West Fallbrook Street. That first portion started Nov. 27 and was completed Dec. 1 and accounted for 1.1 miles of road.

Arellano explained the second portion of the project.

“A utility agency needs to repair their lines on the remaining portion (of the project)," said Arellano. "We will resume the road treatment Dec. 11 to Dec. 15 between Fallbrook Street and West Mission Road. We will have message signs and a traffic-control plan in place to minimize the impacts to the community.”

Gov. Jerry Brown approved the transportation funding April 28 to specifically repair roads in California communities. It’s called the “Road Repair and Accountability.”

On May 2, the County Board of Supervisors gave staff the go-ahead to use part of the DPW’s $538 million (in new funding spread across the next 10 years for road maintenance) for resurfacing projects designated under the pavement condition index (PCI). The index for the county is PCI 60. The goal is to increase that number.

Fallbrook Community Planning Group and sponsor group members are working to ascertain what roads need the tender loving care in this area.

“Roads are on our agenda for the next meeting (this month)," said Jim Russell, chairman of the Fallbrook planning group. Russell added that the agenda will be in the Dec. 14 issue of the Village News.

The planning group meets at 7 p.m. the third Monday of each month at Live Oak Elementary School, 1978 Reche Rd.

Russell said that due to the longevity of the roads funding program, the planning group may discuss it monthly in hopes of gaining a lion’s share of the funding for the needed pavement improvements throughout town.