TEMECULA - Improvements to The Promenade's ring road were an easy sell to the Planning Commission on Wednesday night.

The commission voted 5-0 to accept the plan intended to ease traffic conflicts on the road encircling the mall with no objections from the public.

The need for altering the road stems from plans to expand the mall. While the proposal for a 125,950-square-foot expansion was approved by the City Council in March, there were still questions about how the existing infrastructure would be modified to solve long-standing traffic problems as well as hedge off circulation conflicts resulting from the expansion.

With the Planning Commission's action Wednesday, the road improvements have taken shape and are awaiting the City Council to sign off on them so work can begin.

"Thank you for all the work done on Round 2 of the ring road issue - Round 1 didn't go very well," Planning Commissioner Ron Guerriero said to the mall's developers at the meeting. "Looks like we are going to make some headway with making that road a success."

Currently, intersections around the ring road are controlled by stop signs, which tend to be confusing as different intersections have varying yield and stopping requirements. Drive aisles between rows of parking filter into the main ring road at multiple points, causing sporadic turns. Some have described taking a left turn onto the ring road as life-threatening.

Among the proposed changes to the road are installation of two traffic signals, and to remove and close off 16 drive aisles connecting the ring road, as well as adding turn lanes for drivers trying to connect to Winchester, Ynez and North General Kearny roads.

The road improvements are expected to cost about $2 million and will be paid for by the mall's parent company, Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises Inc.

Kenneth Lee, Forest City's vice president for West Coast developments, said the road improvements are slated to begin in April and are due to be completed in September. After that, a traffic study would be conducted to see if additional changes need to be made.

If circulation problems still exist, two more traffic signals could be installed, and three additional drive aisles could be closed off.

The Promenade expansion will include eight buildings situated along a two-way "Main Street" that will be installed on the mall's south side. The Main Street will extend from the ring road south of a Macy's department store, veer eastward and run between the main mall building and Edwards Cinemas, then connect to an extension of North General Kearny Road.

The plaza between the existing mall and the movie theater will be reconfigured to create a park-like setting for patrons. A 16,500-square-foot restaurant is proposed to be built on the east side of the theater.

Because the Main Street expansion will be built on an existing parking area, two garages will be constructed to satisfy parking needs.

On Wednesday, the commission also approved a request to add another level to a second, smaller parking garage that will be reserved for mall businesses and employees. The structure will now have three levels of parking and 329 spaces.

Also approved by the commission were changes to the existing signs and monuments at the mall, which are decorated with glittery designs such as pinwheels and saxophones. The new design calls for a makeover of six entrances that will be composed of glass, and feature a bronze symbol in the shape of a cursive "P" to denote The Promenade mall.

The grand reopening of The Promenade mall is scheduled for March 2009, Lee said.

- Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.