Circulation Element

Only areas below are considered part of the General Plan.

Roadway System

Menifee's vision is that there will be more circulation options as the city and the region grow. Personal vehicles will continue to provide individual mobility and flexibility for travel, though fuel systems will change and guidance technology will become more sophisticated. The circulation system will be coordinated with future land use patterns and levels of buildout.

Goal

• C-1: A roadway network that meets the circulation needs of all residents, employees, and visitors to the City of Menifee.

Policies

• C-1.1:Require roadways to:
  • Comply with federal, state, and local design and safety standards.
  • Meet the needs of multiple transportation modes and users.
  • Be compatible with the streetscape and surrounding land uses.
  • Be maintained in accordance with best practices.
• C-1.2: Require development to mitigate its traffic impacts and achieve a peak hour Level of Service (LOS) D or better at intersections, except at constrained intersections at close proximity to the I-215 where LOS E may be permitted.
• C-1.3: Work with Caltrans, RCTC, and others to identify, fund, and implement needed improvements to roadways identified in the citywide roadway network.
• C-1.4: Promote development of local street patterns that unify neighborhoods and work with neighboring jurisdictions to provide compatible roadway linkages at the city limits.
• C-1.5: Minimize idling times and vehicle miles traveled to conserve resources, protect air quality, and limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Exhibits

• Exhibit C-1: Layered Transportation Networks
• Exhibit C-2: Roadway Cross-Sections
• Exhibit C-3: Roadway Network

Roadway Cross-Sections & Definitions

City of Menifee functional roadway classifications and cross-section features are shown on Exhibit C-2: Roadway Cross-Sections. Classifications range from an Expressway/Limited Access Conventional Highway (the largest) to a Rural Local (the smallest). The roadway cross-sections accommodate a broad array of traffic volume conditions and modes and provide appropriate lane configurations, shoulders, medians, and other necessary facilities.

Expressway/Limited Access Conventional Highway

The Expressway/Limited Access Conventional Highway classification accommodates 6 to 8 through travel lanes, applicable to the Ethanac Road/SR-74 east-west corridor on the northern edge of the City of Menifee. Ethanac Road is planned to extend west to State Route 74 in Lake Elsinore and to directly connect with the existing State Route 74 alignment east of Antelope Road. Once completed, this corridor will provide a fluid east-west linkage through several jurisdictions where State Route 74 segments are currently disjointed. Consequently, regional connectivity issues will need to be addressed for this Expressway to be constructed.

Urban Arterial

The Urban Arterial is generally a 6-lane section with a curbed median, although an 8-lane version of this classification is required in at least 1 location in the city (Newport Road in the vicinity of the I-215 interchange) based upon traffic projections. The Urban Arterial cross-sections have been modified from the currently adopted county cross-section to provide more detail and flexibility on the median and parkway widths.

Arterial

An Arterial is a 4-lane section with a raised median. The Arterial cross-section has been modified from the county typical cross-section to provide more detail and flexibility for the median and parkway widths. Shoulders may accommodate exclusive bike lanes or share NEV/bike lanes. Sidewalks may be curb-adjacent or separated from the roadway by a landscaped parkway or on-street parking, subject to approval.

Major

The Major is a 4-lane section with a painted median. The Major cross-section has been modified from the county cross-section to provide more flexibility for parkway widths. Shoulders may accommodate exclusive bike lanes or shared NEV/bike lanes. Sidewalks may be curb adjacent or separated from the roadway by a landscaped parkway.

Secondary

The Secondary is a 4-lane roadway that provides median turn lanes and bike lanes or shared NEV/bike lanes when median turn lanes are not needed. The Secondary classification provides a 100-foot' right-of-way. Sidewalks should be separated from the roadway by a landscaped parkway.

Collector/Rural Collector and Local Streets

The proposed Menifee General Plan Roadway Network (Exhibit C-3) incorporates a system of Collector Local streets that provide an important function for neighborhood-to-neighborhood interaction involving autos, bikes, pedestrians, and NEVs/golf carts. These 2-lane, low-to-moderate speed connections should be protected and expanded where feasible. They provide an alternative to traveling on higher-capacity and higher-speed roads in order to navigate through the City of Menifee for short trips. Several Collector and Local roadway classifications apply to these routes, and the classifications will vary with the context of each roadway segment.

Three versions of the Collector classification are shown on Exhibit C-2. The Collector is a 2-lane, undivided road with shoulders that can accommodate on-street parking, exclusive bike lanes, or shared NEV/bike lanes. NEV/bike lanes would only be needed on this roadway classification if posted speed limits exceed 35mph. The Industrial Collector consists of 2-lane divided sections with a painted median which can be utilized where left turn pockets are needed. The Rural Collector is a 2-lane, undivided road that may accommodate pedestrian dirt paths and/or equestrian trails within the parkway.

The General Local, Enhanced Local, and Rural Local classifications shown of Exhibit C-2 are basic 2-lane, undivided cross-sections. The General Local accommodates on-street parking on both sides of the roadway as needed, and sidewalks may be curb adjacent or separated from the roadway by a landscaped parkway. The Enhanced Local may be utilized to provide added sidewalk area adjacent to schools and parks. The Rural Local has space for only limited on-street parking (1 side), and it may accommodate pedestrian dirt paths and/or equestrian trails within the parkway.

Exhibit C-3: Roadway Network, presents the entire roadway plan. In addition to functional classifications, the plan identifies enhanced intersection locations (additional lanes/right-of-way required within 600 feet of the intersection) and connectivity analysis zones (roadway alignments, intersections geometrics, and traffic control features subject to future assessment).