Public Works

City of Riverside Public Works Department

The Public Works Department plays a vital role in providing a myriad of City services to promote quality of life for the City of Riverside.

Our goal is to implement efficient and cost effective services to preserve and enhance our City streets, bike paths, and sanitary sewer system as well as promote sustainable programs to preserve our environment with clean storm drains, air quality programs and a solid waste collection system that successfully diverts 69% of citywide trash from landfills to recycling programs.

Please explore our website for more information on the variety of services we provide.

Public Works Department News

• 22nd Annual Walk with the Animals - Saturday, March 15th
• Sandbag Filling Locations for Weekend Storm Event
• Riverside Avenue Underpass Project
• Anti-Graffiti Contests Now Open!
  • Contests Closed December 31, 2013
• Van Buren Boulevard Improvements
• Water Quality Control Plant Receives Peak Performance Award
• 3-Year Pavement Rehabilitation and Preservation Program is Underway
• Proposed Brockton Avenue Bike Lane Project
• Citizens approved annexation to Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District

22nd Annual Walk with the Animals - Saturday, March 15th

Animal lovers from across the Inland Empire will be leashing up to raise awareness and funds for the Pet Adoption Center and its many programs that support homeless animals throughout the community. The Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center will be holding this years event in Historic Fairmount Park from 8:00 am until 12:00 pm. The 1.3 mile walk will take place around Lake Evans.

If you have any questions about this event, or would like to register you and your pet for the walk, please visit www.petsadoption.org.

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City of Riverside Public Works Department Announces Sandbag Filling Locations

In anticipation of wet weather forecasted for this weekend, the City of Riverside Public Works Department will be opening self-service sandbag filling stations at the following locations:

City Corporation Yard: 8095 Lincoln Ave. Riverside Ca. 92504
Fire Station 6: 10191 Cypress Ave. Riverside Ca. 92503
Fire Station 7: 1077 Orange St. Riverside Ca. 92501

These locations will be opened starting 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 and are intended to assist residents who feel the need to prepare for possible localized flooding. The stations are equipped with sand, sandbags and shovels. Additional sandbagging supplies may be purchased at local hardware and home improvement stores.

Residents are reminded to prepare in advance for wet weather events by clearing debris from gutters and downspouts and maintaining a household emergency preparedness kit.

Rains and wind are anticipated to start Thursday evening and continue into Sunday night. All storms have the potential to cause power outages, flooded roads, downed trees and/or power lines as well as other inconveniences.

BE PREPARED FOR THE RAIN: Pick up debris so it doesn’t make its way to a storm drain. Report storm issues to the Call Center at 826-5311. Do not drive into flooded roadways.

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Riverside Avenue Underpass Project

The Riverside Avenue Underpass Project will construct a railroad underpass at the Riverside Avenue/Union Pacific railroad at-grade crossing. Major elements of the project include lowering Riverside Avenue from Merrill Avenue to about 300 feet north of Elizabeth Street, constructing a cul-de-sac at Elizabeth Street and Tipperary Way, constructing a new street (Mono Drive) to connect Trinity Court to Sunnyside Drive, and constructing a two-track railroad bridge to carry train traffic.

The Notice to Proceed with project construction is expected to be issued on December 27, 2013 and will last approximately 20 months. The extended construction duration is due to the necessity of building the railroad bridge in two phases. The bridge cannot be completed until one-half of it is constructed and the train traffic is shifted onto the newly completed half of the bridge before the remainder of the bridge is constructed on the space occupied by the temporary track.

For additional project information, CLICK HERE.

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Anti-Graffiti Contests Now Open!

Do you have artistic talent? Are you a middle or high school student in the City of Riverside? Would you like to be $500, or even $1,000 richer? If you answered yes to these questions, the 2014 Anti-Graffiti Poster and Video Contests are for you!

Sponsored by the City of Riverside Public Works Department, these two contests encourage students to express themselves creatively through legal artwork while discouraging graffiti vandalism. Messages in the videos and posters must align with the contest theme, which is “Off the Wall.”

The Anti-Graffiti Poster Contest is open to 7th and 8th grade students in the City of Riverside who will compete for cash prizes up to $500. Students will use their artistic abilities to create a poster promoting how to keep vandalism off the wall and out of the community.

The Anti-Graffiti Video Contest uses media arts and video production to increase peer-to-peer awareness of graffiti vandalism. High School students will compete for cash prizes up to $1,000. Students will create a 60-second video to educate their peers that graffiti is against the law and should be kept off the wall.

The top three video and poster entries will be awarded in May 2014. Winning entries will be featured on the City of Riverside Website and local TV Cable Access channels.

Students are encouraged to get their schools involved in the contest. Teachers and principals can schedule classroom presentations any time during the contest period. Presentations given by City staff will explain the contest to students, help them develop competitive entries, and answer any questions.

For complete contest information, students may download the contest toolkits from www.riversideca.gov/graffiti. The contest is open from October 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013. All entries are due by 4:00 pm on the deadline date.

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Van Buren Boulevard Improvements

In order to preserve another important City corridor, Van Buren Boulevard will undergo various repairs as part of the Citywide pavement rehabilitation and preservation program.

This project will rehabilitate the deteriorating roadway as well as construct new landscaped medians and widen Van Buren Boulevard between Audrey Avenue and Wells Avenue.

Lane Closure Hours (Monday through Friday):

• North and Southbound reduced to one lane: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Note: Street parking and bike lane availability will be limited during lane closure hours

Van Buren Boulevard will be open to through traffic at all times during construction, however some delays may be experienced during lane closure hours. Business and residential access will be maintained. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding while we make necessary infrastructure improvements to our City.

For additional information please contact Brandi Becker at 826-5341 or bbecker@riversideca.gov.

CLICK HERE for program information flyer.

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City of Riverside's Water Quality Control Plant Receives Peak Performance Award

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The City of Riverside Public Works Department’s Water Quality Control Plant has been selected to receive a Gold Peak Performance Award. The Peak Performance Awards program presented by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) recognizes public wastewater treatment facilities for their outstanding compliance records in the 2012 calendar year. The Gold Peak Performance Award honors those that have achieved 100 percent discharge compliance for an entire calendar year, ensuring safe water for the enjoyment of all. Read More...

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3-Year Pavement Rehabilitation and Preservation Program is Underway

On April 24, 2012, the City Council approved a 3-year Pavement Rehabilitation and Preservation Program.

The $32 million dollar pavement rehabilitation component of the program will fund pavement rehabilitation as well as new wheelchair ramps and repairs to curb, gutter, and sidewalks along 50 miles of the City’s streets. The program anticipates rehabilitating about 24 miles of arterial highways and 26 miles of local streets. Streets are selected based on the City’s pavement program and visual inspection to determine those most in need of repair.

The pavement preservation component of the program is funded annually by the City’s Gas Tax and Measure A sales and use tax revenues. The program proposes to use slurry seal or Asphalt Rubber Aggregate Membrane (ARAM) to treat between 50 and 75 miles of roadway. The treatments are intended to preserve existing streets and extend their useful life before full resurfacing is required. Additionally, the Streets Maintenance Division has increased its focus on pavement repair and preservation such as routine crack filling, slurry seals, and utility patch and trench repair to maintain the roadways.

For more information on the program please contact Farshid Mohammadi at 951-826-5515.

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