Project Overview
Hamner Avenue is an approximately 8.5-mile stretch of road extending through the Cities of Norco and Eastvale. The corridor runs parallel to Interstate 15 (I-15) and extends from Riverside Drive in the City of Eastvale (Eastvale) at the north end to the southern boundary of the City of Norco (Norco) at the south end. Hamner Avenue serves not only as a local arterial but also as an alternate route to the I-15. For more than seven decades, the Hamner Avenue Bridge, which is one of the few all-weather crossings over the Santa Ana River in the region, has been a critical link between Norco and the unincorporated areas to the north in Riverside County (subsequently the newly formed City of Eastvale).
The bridge site is near the border between Norco and Eastvale, approximately 1,300 feet to the west of the I-15 Bridges over the Santa Ana River in the City of Norco, California. The existing structure has two traffic lanes, one in each direction with no shoulders. It carries heavy traffic bypassing Interstate-15 when there is congestion, maintenance activities, or an emergency on the freeway. The existing reinforced concrete bridge is approximately 676 feet long and 36 feet wide. The bridge was constructed in 1939. It was widened and seismically upgraded in 1978. The bridge widening project provided a cantilevered sidewalk on the east side of the structure and installed cable restrainers through the expansion joints for seismic retrofitting.
The 1978 seismic upgrade work is now outdated and insufficient in consideration of the current Caltrans seismic design criteria and retrofit technology. The bridge is listed in the federal Eligible Bridge List (EBL) with a status flag of “Structurally Deficient” (SD) and a Sufficiency Rating (SR) of 69.3. Since the bridge is rated “SD” with a SR lower than 80, the bridge is eligible for rehabilitation using the federal Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funds. Although the SR of the bridge exceeds the threshold of 50.0 for replacement per the HBP guidelines, County and the Cities consider that the replacement of the existing 2-lane bridge with a minimum 4-lane or possibly a 6-lane bridge is the most prudent and cost-effective rehabilitation alternative. This determination is based on the age of the bridge, the structural deterioration, hydraulic deficiencies, geometric restrictions, and the need for increased traffic capacity.
The purpose of the proposed project is to replace the existing structurally deficient and functionally obsolete 76 year old bridge with a new, longer, and wider bridge to provide enhanced public safety and traffic circulation in the area. The work will include reconstructing approach roadways, providing necessary channel improvements, and a multi-purpose trail connecting to the existing and proposed regional trails. The proposed bridge improvements are consistent with the 2012-2035 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) published by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). Widening of Hamner Avenue from 2 to 6 traffic lanes, including the bridge over the Santa Ana River, has been listed in the SCAG’s 2012-2035 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), Project ID 3A01WT159.
project details
Estimated Total Project Cost: $64,000,000
Environmental Clearance:
April 2019Final Design:
May 2020Construction Start:
January 2021Construction End:
Summer 2023Cooperating Agencies:
City of Norco
City of Eastvale
Project Documents
initial study with proposed mitigated negative declaration
Hamner Avenue Widening Project
Project Documents
Comments are requested on the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration from July 22 to August 10, 2020. The link for the Notice has information on how to provide comments on this document.