Rainbow CPG prioritizes long-term road resurfacing list

The Rainbow Community Planning Group approved a priority list of roads the community desires to have resurfaced.

A 10-0 planning group vote Wednesday, April 21, with Michele Sheehan absent, approved the priority for repaving Huffstatler Street, Rainbow Valley Boulevard, Rainbow Valley Boulevard West, Rainbow Glen Road and Old Highway 395.

The planning group previously developed a list which requested resurfacing of Old Highway 395, Rainbow Glen Road, Rainbow Valley Boulevard and Rainbow Valley Boulevard West. The county's Department of Public Works asked for a prioritized list, so the planning group provided the priorities.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed a pavement condition index which utilizes specialized vehicles with downward-facing cameras to inspect roads and determine the road condition. A road with a PCI of 71 to 100 is considered very good; segments with a PCI of 51 to 70 are considered good; roads with a PCI between 26 and 50 are considered poor and streets with a PCI of 25 or lower are considered very poor. Because Huffstatler Street was not on the previous list, no mileage total or PCI was provided.

The 2.37-mile segment of Old Highway 395 between Second Street and Sterling View Drive has a PCI of 28, but the planning group gave that segment the lowest priority for two reasons. The road is often used by Riverside County commuters to avoid Interstate 15, so the planning group’s higher priorities are for the roads used primarily by Rainbow residents.

The county’s 2020-2201 budget includes funding for a traffic signal at Old Highway 395 and Rainbow Glen Road, so the planning group also desires to defer the resurfacing until after the signal has been constructed.

The resurfacing of Old Highway 395 may be performed in phases. On April 7, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a preliminary list of roads to be repaved after a contract is advertised for bid later this year, and that list includes 0.87 miles of Old Highway 395 between Rainbow Glen Road and Second Street. That resurfacing is expected to be completed in summer 2022.

Rainbow Valley Boulevard between Huffstatler Street and Rainbow Valley Boulevard West is 0.95 miles and has a PCI of 31. Rainbow Valley Boulevard West between Rainbow Valley Boulevard and the cul-de-sac on the other side of the freeway measures 0.45 miles and the PCI is 35. The 3.01-mile portion of Rainbow Glen Road between Rainbow Valley Boulevard and the county line has a PCI of 41, and that work may be done in phases.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].