PERRIS, Calif. (November 4, 2024) –– The City of Perris hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at for Ethanac Bridge on Thursday, October 24, 2024, and officially launched the new project slated to begin construction early 2025.

Perris Mayor Michael M. Vargas, Councilmember Malcolm Corona, Assistant City Manager Ernie Reyna, Assistant City Manager Wendell Bugtai, Planning Chair Dwayne Hammond, Ricardo Guerrero of the 31^st District Senator Richard Roth’s office and Daissy Arteaga of the 60^th District Assemblymember Dr. Corey Jackson’s office, , and Perris City Staff, joined residents for the ceremony.

Perris Mayor Michael M. Vargas is eager to get this project off the ground so the whole community can begin to benefit.

"Team Perris is very excited to get this project up and running in the coming months," said Vargas. "This bridge will help alleviate traffic congestion in the area, but also provide relief for fire and flood access. And by including trails and bike lanes, we can see it following our mission of keeping Perris a great place to live, work and play, which benefits the whole community."

Perris will soon advertise and consider bids for the project. Construction for is estimated to begin Spring 2025 with an estimated completion for Summer 2026.  This project will construct a 4-lane, 450-foot long bridge over the San Jacinto River and will additionally construct a 10-foot wide multi-purpose trail and 6-foot wide bike lanes.  This project will improve flood and fire access for more than 3,000 acres of land within the City of Perris and will also provide secondary access and sewer lines for 1,300 future homes planned in the City.  The estimated cost for this project is $22 million.

This Ethanac Bridge Project is considered Phase 1 of the Ethanac Expressway Corridor Plan, which is a key regional transportation planning document that will ultimately connect Ethanac Road westerly to Highway 74.  This future east-west arterial connection is expected to reduce vehicular one-way travel distances by 4.5 miles and also save commuters an estimated 10 minutes of travel time.  The future Ethanac Expressway Corridor will also provide an alternate and more direct route for any potential emergency evacuation situations (wildfires, flooding events, and major incidents on nearby freeways).

This project works in partnership with Riverside County Transportation Commission, Western Riverside Council of Governments, and Richland Communities.

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