Working for Indian Wells Valley

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Ridgecrest projects in the local transportation measure

Safe Roads for Kern Measure "I" Expenditure Plan Capital Projects Sub-Total $26,123,535     Local Street Reconstruction City of Ridgecrest $7,694,127 Upjohn Ave. - Brady to China Lake $1,797,274 Downs St.-Upjohn Ave to Ridgecrest $775,000 Norma St. - Las Flores to Ridgecrest $375,000 Norma St.-Bowman to S China Lake $375,000 Drummond - Norma to China Lake $245,491 Richmond Road - Ridgecrest Blvd to Bowman $1,000,000 County $3,687,195 Sub-Total $15,939,087     Transit, Transportation Enhancements & Air Quality Sub-Total $16,032,532     Area Total $44,121,955

Funding moves up timeline on projects

The Safe Roads For Kern measure expenditure plan contains an ambitious blueprint of roadway corridor improvements designed to keep the regional economy moving over the next 26 years.

Many of the proposed projects already have funding dedicated to early phases, such as planning or engineering.

The measure includes projects in every area of the county, with capital improvements from metropolitan Bakersfield to Maricopa, Mojave and Wasco to Tehachapi, Rosamond and Ridgecrest.

In the Indian Wells Valley, $15.65 million in measure funds will help two major capital improvement projects see completion.

Roughly $8.8 million has been budgeted to widen State Route 14 from State Route 178 to Red Rock Canyon, while another $6.8 million will go to construct passing lanes on U.S. 395 near Ridgecrest.

An additional $16 million is budgeted for transit, transportation enhancement and air quality projects, such as paving dirt roads or purchasing natural gas buses.

Cities, county facing $500 million backlog in road maintenance

The Safe Roads measure would bring the Indian Wells Valley $11.3 million for road maintenance over its 20-year lifespan, or about $569,066 annually. About $7.6 million would go to Ridgecrest alone.

Deferred road maintenance throughout Kern County is rapidly approaching a $500 million backlog, according to Kern COG’s preliminary estimates.

Kern COG estimates a cost of more than $500 million for the 11 cities and the county itself to bring all roads up to standards. That figure grows by approximately $73 million each year the maintenance is deferred.