Major Closure Planned On Gilman Springs Road: TRAFFIC ALERT

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Almost half of a 20-mile corridor connecting Moreno Valley and San Jacinto will be shut down Monday evening requiring motorists to use alternate routes.

What's more, the closure is not just for Monday— transportation officials say the roadway will be closed periodically over the next two months for a resurfacing project.

The 9-mile stretch of Gilman Springs Road will closed from state Route 79 to the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway at least five nights a week, between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., according to the Transportation & Land Management Agency.

"Motorists can use a detour that takes them from Highway 79 through Lamb Canyon onto Highway 60 in Beaumont," officials said in a news release announcing the closure.

Officials said that nighttime work on an ongoing basis will enable Watsonville-based Granite Construction Inc. to expedite completion of the $4.69 million Gilman Springs Resurfacing Project.

The work will entail overlaying new asphalt, repairing distressed sections of roadway, upgrading guardrails, replacing rumble stripes, improving shoulder space and reconstructing drains.

Access from the 60 to Gilman Springs will not be available during the nighttime work, though residents whose properties are only accessible from Gilman Springs will be able to utilize the corridor from Alessandro Boulevard in Moreno Valley, at any hour, according to the county. Escorts will be provided.

The road will also be closed to the south at the junction with Highway 79.

On Friday and Saturday nights, closures will be reduced, with motorists able to use at least one traffic lane, guided by pilot vehicles through construction zones, officials said.

All construction is slated to pause on June 21 and from July 4-7, to free up travel during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Other nights, the best detour for motorists will be the 79 between San Jacinto and Beaumont, then east or west on the 60. However, state Route 74 through Hemet will also be open, and commuters can connect to Interstate 215 northbound or southbound from the 74, according to the county.

More information about the project is available at https://rcprojects.org/gilmanspringsresurfacing.

— City News Service contributed to this report.