Locals turned out in mass for last night’s public information meeting with Caltrans in Morongo Valley. As the 6 p.m. start time ticked ever closer, the Covington Park Multipurpose Room swelled to well over 100 people with as many or more waiting outside, all eager to share their thoughts on the emergency delineators installed on about six and a half miles of Highway 62 in Morongo Valley. Z107.7 assignment reporter Mike Lipsitz explains what happened next…
Calling for order, Caltrans Chief Public Information Officer Terri Kasinga, arranged to relocate the meeting and somewhat boisterous crowd outside to the nearby pavilion where representatives of Caltrans attempted to explain and defend installation of the barriers and elimination of most of the middle turning lane along the route in question. Calling the changes a “temporary solution to too many fatalities,” Caltrans Chief of area Traffic Operations, Haissam Yahya, told a skeptical audience that having to make u-turns was no more dangerous than making left turns. The statement did little to appease locals angry about being excluded from the decision-making process and unhappy about changes which blocked direct access to many residential roads. Yahya further explained the changes were being fine-tuned and that Caltrans wants to address concerns and take other measures, such as lowering the speed limit, and adding overhead lighting and signals, ideas there were mostly met with audience approval.
