Caltrans
Granite will be responsible for the construction of widened shoulders on the highway. Credit: Daniel Cartin on Unsplash.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has selected Granite Construction for the State Route 74 Ortega Highway widening project in Lake Elsinore, California.

The project will see the widening of the State Route 74 between Lake Elsinore and Riverside County / Orange County line.

Under the $39m contract, Granite will be responsible for the construction of widened shoulders, as well as rumble strips, in each direction.

It will also be responsible for increased super-elevations on the curves for added safety.

Granite regional vice-president Brad Williams said: “This section of State Route 74, which connects Interstate 15 and Interstate 5, is narrow and winding, so the addition of shoulders and rumble strips will improve safety for the travelling public.

“This project is an internal joint venture between our Desert Cities and South Coast regions, so each team brings their unique expertise to this partnership with Caltrans.”

Construction is set to begin next February and is expected to be completed by June 2022.

Upon completion, the project is expected to improve the safety of commuters travelling between the cities of Lake Elsinore and San Juan Capistrano.

In October, Caltrans appointed Granite Construction as the construction manager / general contractor (CM/GC) for the $257m State Route 99 rehabilitation project.

This project will cover the road stretching from El Dorado Street to Clinton Avenue in Fresno, California.

By the end of this year, Granite will assume the construction management portion of the contract and will assume the role of general contractor from mid-2024.