Q: Four years ago, Gloria Perry of Jurupa Valley contacted On the Road questioning two distance signs on the westbound 60 Freeway, the 1 mile and the 1/2 mile signs, that were next to each other. Both signs tell drivers about the upcoming exit to Valley Way, the first said “Mission Blvd/Valley Way” and a museum are one mile away. A second sign right behind it says Valley Way is a half-mile away. She emailed a photo showing both signs at nearly the same location.

Perry wrote again recently with this update: “Caltrans said they would see about fixing the issue. After nearly a year, I made a report myself since the top part of the 1 mile sign that said Mission Blvd had blown off in the winds.” Perry said Caltrans emailed her, saying the issue had been fixed. A video of the area she sent in recently, however, shows otherwise. It shows, as of late June, both contradictory signs were still there, including the damaged sign. The only change is a new Valley Way sign was added near the sound wall behind the first two signs, and it’s now partly covered by bushes.

“I know the issue has to be a low priority, but this smacks of incompetence or no common sense,” Perry said.

A: In 2021, we asked Caltrans to check on Perry’s report. The Caltrans Operations department said at the time it conducted a field investigation. As a result, Caltrans said then, a sign relocation request was initiated by the inspector to move the sign with the inaccurate location to the correct spot. The now-damaged sign that said “Mission Blvd/Valley Way 1 Mile” and “Museum” was supposed to be moved about 1,600 feet back. (The museum to which this sign refers is the Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center.) This didn’t appear to happen.

For an update, we asked Eric Dionne, Caltrans spokesperson, about this. He said a new sign was ordered a while ago and the sign crew expected to receive it in late June from the vendor. The new sign was expected to be installed sometime after the Fourth of July holiday, Dionne said.

“We are also working with the area maintenance tree crew to remove the vegetation blocking the sign on the sound wall,” he said. We hope our reader will keep us posted.

New CHP vehicles

As a reminder, don’t be surprised if you can’t easily identify some California Highway Patrol vehicles on the roadways. The CHP recently began using new patrol vehicles with minimal markings and interior sirens, making them harder to distinguish as a police car because they blend in with traffic. These new vehicles are Dodge Durango SUVs in solid colors like black, gray or silver.

Do you commute to work in the Inland Empire? Spend a lot of time in your vehicle? Have questions about driving, freeways, toll roads or parking? If so, write or call On the Road and we’ll try to answer your questions. Please include your question or issue, name, city of residence, phone number and email address. Write ontheroad@scng.com or call 951-368-9995.