By NELSY RODRIGUEZ - nrodriguez@californian.com

MURRIETA ---- Hard hats may become a must-have for many in Murrieta as city officials prepare to drop tens of millions of dollars on bridge construction and other infrastructure projects.

The City Council is scheduled Tuesday to review a proposed five-year, $173 million budget for capital improvement projects, with all but about $20 million proposed to be spent this coming fiscal year. The review begins at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 24601 Jefferson Ave.

Drawing from developer fees, grants, and gas, redevelopment and sales taxes, plus homeland security funding and stimulus aid awarded by the federal government, city officials expect the city to receive $216 million for projects by the end of fiscal year 2013-14, according to city reports.

The proposed budget asks council members to approve spending $153 million mostly on bridge projects and on improvements to streets and highways this fiscal year starting July 1. If the budget is approved, this year the city could spend $87.8 million on bridge projects ---- specifically, freeway interchanges at Clinton Keith and California Oaks roads, which would each receive more than $20 million, city reports state.

Officials are poised to approve spending $31 million in the coming fiscal year on construction of the Clinton Keith interchange, which includes widening the bridge that crosses the freeway to six lanes from two and replacing the freeway on- and off-ramps. The project is expected to cost $35 million, $10 million of which comes from federal stimulus money.

Also, officials are proposing that the city spend $6 million to construct and widen Meadowlark Lane, which runs parallel to the freeway, from Clinton Keith Road to Keller Road farther north. Officials have pegged the lane to be a main thoroughfare for the city.

On Keller Road, officials, aiming to add another freeway exit, have proposed spending another $500,000 to design an alternate exit from the freeway. Officials see that as a necessity to open access routes to the future Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta, which is scheduled to open in that area in 2011.

Councilman Randon Lane said that project in particular shows city leaders are moving key pieces on the chessboard of city planning.

"All these will be a huge benefit" to commuters, Lane said. "When it comes to infrastructure and planning ahead and getting all that (road work) in, we'll have all the bridges completed and it's not going to be a big headache to get around (up) there."

At California Oaks Road, officials plan to widen the bridge crossing Interstate 15 and reconstruct the freeway on- and off-ramps, at a total cost of $37 million. Pending approval of the budget, the city could spend $28.9 million this coming fiscal year to complete the project, city budget reports state.

At Los Alamos Road and I-15, the bridge project would include widening that overcrossing to four lanes from two and raising the bridge to offer more clearance from the freeway underneath. The $11 million project is in part being subsidized by Measure A transportation sales tax funds, according to reports.

Other bridge projects that city leaders hope to tackle this coming year are bridges over Murrieta Creek at Ivy and Guava streets, and a bridge over Warm Springs Creek at Jackson Avenue.

The city also could drop more than $40 million on street and highway improvements, such as bringing intersections throughout the city into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Those enhancements could cost $350,000 and could be paid for this coming fiscal year, city estimates show.

Other projects that could see significant funding include a proposal to spend $1.8 million to update the city's general plan, $860,000 to replace grass at Los Alamos Hills Sports Park with synthetic turf, and adding $2 million toward a $9 million drainage project near Madison and Jefferson avenues.

Call staff writer Nelsy Rodriguez at 951-676-4315, ext. 2626.