When the Route Fire burned about 5,000 acres near Castaic in August 2022, prompting closure of the 5 Freeway at The Grapevine followed by weeks of lane closures for repairs, motorists exited onto The Old Road detour, bringing traffic misery to the Santa Clarita Valley.
Detours from the primary north-south freeway link between Southern and Northern California also occur during snowstorms, fog, flooding and road work, repeating the scenario ad nauseam with miles of snarled traffic both on the freeway and along the deteriorating side road.
Los Angeles County Public Works — after years of planning — is close to starting construction on a project to widen a 2-mile portion of The Old Road west of Santa Clarita. County officials say the widening plan will enable the road to handle emergency freeway detours and local traffic for the growing Santa Clarita Valley.
“That particular area has been in need of improvement for years,” said Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel, a community activist from Santa Clarita. “The Old Road is too small for the traffic it carries.”
It has taken awhile for the county to pull together the $250 million for the project. And after using grants, loans, bonds and funds from Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s transportation pot, the county is still $12 million short. It plans on filing a funding request via the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the county reported.
“It has taken six years to get to this point and there are still important milestones ahead – including obtaining an environmental clearance – but we’re getting closer,” said Barger in a statement on March 14.
The Old Road will be widened from two lanes in each direction to three lanes in each direction between Henry Mayo Drive near the 126 Freeway and 5 Freeway interchange and Magic Mountain Parkway. In addition, the project calls for adding protected bikeways on both sides of the roadway.
Also, two bridges will be replaced, including the old, abandoned…
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