Improvements to Redlands Busiest Intersection

Recently, sections of Redlands Boulevard between Kansas Street and Colton Avenue were shut down and reopened for new infastructure installations. The closure allowed installation of a storm drain from the south side of Redlands Boulevard to where the new Colton Avenue intersection will meet with Redlands Boulevard. The Redlands-Alabama-Colton intersection has been a top priority for the city since at least 2003. Complexities of the project and limited funding availability delayed progress until 2010 when city staff developed new approaches to the project design and began aggressively pursuing outside funding sources. Detours here provided and access remained open to all businesses. The approximately $4 million intersection construction project began in the summer of 2014 to realign the intersection of Redlands Boulevard and Alabama Street, the city’s busiest intersection, with more than 24,000 vehicles passing through the crossing daily. The realignment eliminates a 22-foot offset as Alabama Street crosses Redlands Boulevard and widens both streets adding a third northbound lane and additional left turn lanes in each direction on Alabama Street. The project realigned an unorthodox and difficult merger of Colton Avenue and Redlands Boulevard, creating a signalized T-intersection just east of the Redlands Boulevard/Alabama Street intersection. In addition, the project replaced all street lighting with energy-efficient LED equipment. The city council awarded the $4,035,000 contract to All American Asphalt, of Corona, on Nov. 19, 2013. Funding for the project came from a $1 million Proposition 1B grant, developer fees, local transportation funds and Measure I revenues from a half-cent sales tax approved by San Bernardino County voters to improve local transportation. No general fund money was spent on the infastructure project.