EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

State Route 79 (SR-79) is a two to four-lane highway located on the western side of Riverside County. Located in Caltrans District 8, the highway’s Post Mile (PM) 0.00 begins at the San Diego and Riverside County line, traveling in the north direction and connects unincorporated areas of Riverside County and communities such as Rancho California, Murrieta Hot Springs, Winchester, Temecula, Murrieta, San Jacinto, Hemet, and Beaumont. The highway ends at its intersection with Interstate 10 (I-10) at PM 40.45. SR-79 supports intra-regional travel, connecting commuters to major economic and employment centers. This project aims to improve this accessibility and mobility to commuters through a realignment of the existing highway and converting the alignment into a freeway/expressway. This project will be focusing on Segments 9 and 10 through California Avenue and Gilman Springs Road, located in the City of Beaumont. 

This project will design, analyze, and conduct a feasibility study to establish the most viable alternative that meets the needs of users. Caltrans District 8 has tasked a group of 21 Cal Poly Pomona students to develop a design that improves the access, mobility, and safety of SR-79 to its users. Particularly, the SR-79 realignment project will provide improved direct access to residents in Hemet and San Jacinto. The project aims to further develop and improve the physical and economic needs of the region. 

The Project Study Report (PSR) outlines the year-long environmental findings and considerations, traffic studies, and geometric designs that allowed for the selection of the preferred alternatives for each proposed interchange. A thorough summary of the traffic and environmental studies can be found in the Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) and Preliminary Environmental Analysis Report (PEAR) attached under the project website.