Earlier this year, EHL expressed concern that the western leg of a new highway would violate conditions contained in the regional multi-species plan. In response to this and to concerns raised by others, the offending alignment has been dropped.



The Mid-County Parkway is planned to run east-west from Highway 79 to Interstate 15. It is infrastructure whose permitting was critical to the adoption of the MSHCP by local governments. Impacts to habitat are mitigated through the MSHCP. However, the MSHCP anticipated that the western leg would follow existing Cajalco Road, while the “Far South” route preliminarily chosen would have created an additional road that fragments reserve lands.

EHL’s concerns aligned with those expressed by other conservation and community groups, some elected officials, and the Riverside County Transportation Department. The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) then constructively responded by returning to the Cajalco alignment. EHL commends this decision and will continue to work with RCTC to optimize the route as planning proceeds.