On the afternoon of October 1, cars crossing the new bridge on Bradley Road honked and played patriotic music, and dozens of residents walked out to watch. That's how Patch described the scene. The city had posted its "now open" notice the day before, on September 30. The bridge opened earlier than the planned 5 p.m. Thursday start, and nobody waited for a ceremony to try it out.
The honking makes sense. Bradley Road had been fully closed at Salt Creek for 14 months. What reopened is also a different kind of street from the one that closed. The old crossing went down every time the wash ran. The new one is built to stay open in the rain, and it was designed for people on foot and on bikes as well as drivers.
Fourteen Months of Going Around
Bradley Road closed on August 4, 2025, between Rio Vista Drive to the south and Potomac Drive to the north. Menifee 24/7 reported that drivers had to go east to the 215 Freeway or west to Murrieta Road to get between the Sun City area and Newport Road.
That detour was the daily routine for more than a year. Tami McCarthy told Patch that going around to reach Newport Road was inconvenient. She also said, "we've been cheering for this for a long time."
The opening date moved around near the end. A rumored September 22 date went around online, and the city's communications director, Phil Southard, told Menifee 24/7 that it was never an official date. In the end the bridge opened just over a week after that rumored date.
The Crossing That Came Back
The new bridge is 365 feet long. Menifee 24/7's completion story describes one lane in each direction, a center turn lane and pedestrian access. The city adds dedicated bike lanes and sidewalks. The city's October 13 announcement lists what it's meant to fix. Bradley Road gets a reliable north-south connection during rain, drivers no longer cross through moving water in a storm, and first responders get faster response times.
Here's what changed between the closure and today.
| During the closure | Since the reopening | |
|---|---|---|
| Sun City area to Newport Road | Detour via the 215 Freeway or Murrieta Road | Straight north-south on Bradley Road |
| Lanes at Salt Creek | Road closed | One in each direction plus a center turn lane over a 365-foot bridge |
| Bikes and pedestrians | Salt Creek Trail detoured through the neighborhood near Bradley | Dedicated bike lanes, a sidewalk, and the trail open again |
| Rio Vista Drive | Closed segment boundary | Temporary stop signs until the new signal is turned on |
The city puts the cost at $16 million, paid for with federal, state, county and local money. That includes Menifee's Quality of Life Measure, Riverside County Flood Control funds and the state's Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program. Some earlier local coverage reported $17.6 million. The figure here comes from the city's own release. At the October 13 dedication, Menifee 24/7 reported that Mayor Ricky Estrada credited Congressman Ken Calvert with $5 million in federal funding.
"This long-awaited project not only provides a safer and more reliable connection for our community, but also improves emergency response capabilities," said Mayor Pro Tem and District 1 Councilmember Bob Karwin in the city's announcement. MyValley News also covered the ceremony and Karwin's remarks.
The Walking Path Is Open Again
For a lot of nearby residents, the bigger day-to-day change is the Salt Creek Trail. Explore Menifee describes it as a paved route of about 4.2 miles along the Salt Creek dry riverbed, good for hiking, biking, running and walking. When bridge construction started in July 2025, the city said the segment near Bradley would be temporarily detoured through the surrounding neighborhood.
That detour is over. The city's October 16 construction update says Freedom Bridge and the Salt Creek Trail are both open for public use. Lidia Williams told Patch the walking path matters to her: "We also use the walking path a lot and they had to close it out because it was so flooded."
Put the trail together with the new bike lanes and sidewalk on the bridge, and Salt Creek works for people on foot or on a bike in a way it didn't before the closure.
What Isn't Finished Yet
The bridge is open, but a few things are still in progress. In its October 16 update, the city said it would spend about two more weeks on beautification and final work. It also said temporary stop signs would stay at Bradley Road and Rio Vista Drive until the new traffic signal is turned on. The signal is already installed just south of the bridge. If you drive through this week, plan on stop signs or a newly working light at that intersection, depending on when the switch happens.
The same city update lists other projects that will change traffic patterns elsewhere in town through December:
- Craig Avenue and Evans Road: a new traffic signal, expected to be done by the end of December
- Encanto Road, Rouse Road to McLaughlin Road: underground and street work for the Kaiser Permanente development
- Valley Boulevard, Goetz Road to Thorton Road: work tied to Richmond American
- Domenigoni Road and Laguna Vista Drive to Lindenberger Road: Southern California Edison utility work
A Bridge Named for Veterans, and a November 11 Morning
The name came before the opening. In July, the Menifee City Council renamed the Bradley Road Bridge the Freedom Bridge, on the recommendation of the city's Veterans and Military Families Advisory Committee. Banners for all six branches of the U.S. military now hang along the bridge. At the dedication, Councilmember Dan Temple praised the name, according to Menifee 24/7.
This year's Veterans Day falls less than six weeks after the bridge opened. Menifee's Veterans Day Celebration is Wednesday, November 11, from 10 a.m. to noon at Central Park, 30268 Civic Plaza Drive. The city calls it a family-friendly event with special presentations, veteran recognition, speeches, and a chance for veterans and their families to meet local service providers. The committee that suggested the bridge's name also meets on Monday, November 16, from 3 to 5 p.m. at City Hall.
The Rest of the Fall Calendar
Here are the other city events between now and early December:
- Foodie Friday: Friday, November 6, 5 to 9 p.m., Mt. San Jacinto College, 28237 La Piedra Road
- Trot for a Cause 5K and Fun Run: Saturday, November 21, 9 a.m. to noon, Central Park, with an obstacle course, fun zone, vendors and a canned-food donation drive
- Menifee Trading Post Night Market: Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, 5 to 9 p.m., Central Park
- Christmas Tree Lighting & Holiday Bazaar: Saturday, December 5, 4 to 8 p.m., Mt. San Jacinto College
- Menorah Lighting: Tuesday, December 8, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Central Park
If Bradley Road is part of your regular drive, walk or bike ride, the reopened crossing might change how you think about where you live. We follow these local changes closely, because a reopened road or trail can change how buyers see a home's location. If you're curious how that plays out for your street, The Ashley Cooper Team is happy to walk you through it. Get your free home valuation.
