https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com


Santa Clarita widens the road much traveled

Santa Clarita widens the road much traveled

In 1970, Santa Clarita, an unincorporated area in north Los Angeles County, was a small community, covering 200 square miles of mainly rural area.Twenty
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st December 1995

In 1970, Santa Clarita, an unincorporated area in north Los Angeles County, was a small community, covering 200 square miles of mainly rural area.

Twenty years later, however, the community has undergone a 180-degree transformation.

In 1990, Santa Clarita consisted of 40 square miles and 130,000 people, and a community survey showed that traffic-related issues stemming from lack of roads was the number one issue plaguing the valley. The city’s main north/south material is San Fernando Road, also State Route 126, which bisects Santa Clarita.

This much-traveled road, which connects Santa Clarita’s Saugus and Newhall communities with access to Highway 14, was nothing more than a not-so-sleepy, two-lane road, and residents living just seven miles from the freeway on-ramp claimed it took them just as long to get to the freeway as it did to travel to their jobs in the San Fernando Valley.

To solve the problem, representatives from the city of Santa Clarita, L.A. county and the state joined funding and resources in a complex five-phase project that resulted in the widening of San Fernando Road.

The project transformed the road from two to four lanes, complete with right and left turn lanes, three bridge reconstructions, new and modified traffic signals, underground utilities and landscaping.

The $22 million San Fernando Road widening project began in 1991 with phases three and four — the widening and reconstruction of existing roadway, utility undergrounding, modification of the traffic signal at Circle J. Ranch Road and reconstruction of Placerita Creek bridge.

These two phases were funded by the city and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at a cost of $7 million. The next phase of the project, phase five, was the widening of Magic Mountain Parkway from Bouquet Canyon to Valencia Boulevard, and the widening and reconstruction of the existing roadway, utility undergrounding and reconstruction of the bridge over the South Fort River cost $8 million.

The construction team was led by Santa Clarita and funded by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and a local developer, Newhall Land and Farming Company, which began in May 1994, and was completed in 11 months — one year ahead of the scheduled completion date.

Phase two of the project involved the widening and reconstruction of existing roadway, utility underground, realignment of Magic Mountain Parkway and the San Fernando Road intersection, installation of a traffic signal at Magic Mountain Parkway and modification of the traffic signal at Drayton Street.

At a cost of $2.5 million, the project was administered by the city and funded by the city and Caltrans.

In 1993, the Santa Clarita City Council approved a recommendation to combine phases two and five of the San Fernando Project into one. Consolidation of the construction and the engineering functions resulted in a significant cost savings of more than $600,000.

The city council then voted to use the cost savings by applying them to previously unfunded construction of a storm drain and overlay of a portion of the roadway.

The final phase of the project, ironically called phase one, is currently under construction and entails widening and reconstruction of existing roadway, utility undergrounding, installation of the traffic signal at 15th Street, modification of the traffic signal at 13th Street and reconstruction of the Newhall Creek Bridge. At a cost of $4 million, the project is being administered by the county and funded by the city and Caltrans. This phase will be complete in May 1996.

During the six-year project, all the agencies were involved in extensive outreach campaigns that alerted residents and businesses about detours, lane closures and upcoming work.

The project also improved the area’s aesthetics. The widening of the Magic Mountain Parkway bridge included installation of hand-laid tiles, which now sets the standard for all other bridges in Santa Clarita.

The project also included landscaping and the undergrounding of utilities to rid the area of unsightly power poles. The San Fernando Road widening project is an example of how multiple agencies can work together on a project and bring it in on time and on budget.

Tags:

Most Recent


  • Supreme Court ruling on EPA greenhouse gas regulation will impact cities
    On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court handcuffed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s regulation power by ruling that the federal government cannot use the 1970 Clean Air Act to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. By a 6-3 decision, the decision is notable for city and county administrators because greenhouse gas emissions aren’t contained within […]
  • sustainability
    Sustainability initiatives take center stage in Florida county
    Palm Beach County, Fla. (2022 estimated population: 1,538,450), is the second largest county in Florida by land area and the third largest by population. County leaders have been implementing resiliency and sustainability initiatives for more than a decade, says Melissa McKinlay, commissioner of Palm Beach County District 6. “However, a few years ago, the Board […]
  • July fourth
    10 best cities for July Fourth celebrations
    Happy 247th birthday, America! Across the country, people will be gathering for parades, picnics and, of course, fireworks. According to WalletHub’s 4th of July facts, 47.9 million people will travel 50+ miles from home for the holiday weekend. They will spend $7.7 billion on food, and eat 150 million hot dogs, maybe trying to beat […]
  • The Missing Link in Cloud Security
    Why End-of-Life Destruction is Critical to a Successful Cloud Security Policy Recently, there has been a hyper-focus on cloud security — and with good reason. According to a report by McAfee, cloud services are now a regular component of IT operations, utilized by more than 90% of organizations globally. In fact, 80% of all IT […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Arbor Day Foundation and Intrinsyx Environmental offer natural solution to clean up industrial contamination in cities and towns
  • MS-ISAC members get free access to Deloitte’s Cyber Detect and Respond Portal to help respond to cyber threats
  • Deltek releases 12th annual Clarity Government Contracting Report
  • How local governments can improve bridge projects through strategic engagement

White papers


How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Supreme Court ruling on EPA greenhouse gas regulation will impact cities dlvr.it/STBwkw

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

Sustainability initiatives take center stage in Florida county dlvr.it/STBvwN

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

10 best cities for July Fourth celebrations dlvr.it/STBfHt

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

The Missing Link in Cloud Security dlvr.it/STBXNL

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

Improving Productivity with Employee Engagement | Aug. 4, 2022 at 2 PM ET dlvr.it/STBCD5

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Please take this brief survey and let us know how your organization is managing your budg… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

30th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Reforming emergency dispatch won’t be easy, but it’s necessary dlvr.it/ST7kQ5

30th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Three U.S. cities to adopt Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge-winning project to combat climate change dlvr.it/ST4bjk

29th June 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X