Mar 20, 2009

Nisqualli Road interchange

Final Obstacles to overcome

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By: Brooke Edwards

VICTORVILLE • The proposed Nisqualli Road interchange — that ever-elusive
project to relieve Bear Valley Road traffic — may be closer to reality.


But Victorville needs to overcome two key obstacles before starting
construction later this year — even if the city secures $30 million from the
county transportation board SANBAG for the project.


The city must acquire all of the land that’s in the project’s right-of-way,
which has to be purchased before construction can start.


Councilman Ryan McEachron — the city’s SANBAG representative — said
Victorville has closed deals on roughly 95 percent of the land needed, and
the council passed a resolution Tuesday night that speeds up the process of
getting the rest of the property through eminent domain.


“What that resolution does is it basically allows us to move forward with
respect to properties where we haven’t been able to successfully negotiate a
purchase price,” McEachron said. “It’s going to, in essence, end up in the
court to determine what the price will be, but we’ll be able to take
possession and move forward and build where we need to.”


The other key obstacle is for the city to figure out how it will fund its
half of the $60 million project.


“We’ll be able to do it,” McEachron said. “As to exactly how we’re going to
go about the funding, I’m waiting for details from (City Engineer) Sean
(McGlade).”


McGlade is currently working on a plan to fund the city’s $30 million,
McEachron said, which would likely include issuing some short-term bonding.

- Brooke Edwards, Victorville Daily Press