It was just last year when the City held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Golden Valley Road Bridge Widening project over State Route 14. It was a very exciting morning as my fellow councilmembers and I stood with our gold ceremonial shovels by the bridge; a tradition that celebrates the first day of construction for every project.
Fast forward to the present day and the Golden Valley Road Bridge Widening project is now in its final stages of being completed. For those who regularly drive across the Golden Valley Road Bridge, you may have already seen the difference a year has made.
A lot has been completed over the past few months, and I want to thank YOU, our residents for being patient and cooperative.
This multi-million dollar project will dramatically improve safety and traffic flow entering and exiting the State Route 14 Freeway via Golden Valley Road. Previously, traffic would bottleneck from four lanes (two lanes each way) on Golden Valley Road, to two lanes of traffic (one in each direction) at the bridge over the freeway.
The widening of the bridge has resulted in an additional two lanes of travel, one in each direction, for a total of four through lanes on the bridge.
The project also provided for a dedicated left turn lane to access the southbound 14 Freeway, as well as two left turn lanes to access the northbound 14 Freeway.
The newly completed project addresses traffic concerns in the area and also improves pedestrian and cyclist routes along the bridge. Those riding a bike, walking or jogging will be able to utilize a class I path which was added to the south side of the bridge and is helping to complete our protected trail system from the east side to the west side.
If you’re wondering what the new bridge looks like today, I would encourage you to check out real-time photos of the Golden Valley Road Bridge on our live Construction Cam hosted on the City’s website at www.santa-clarita.com.
The Golden Valley Road Bridge Widening project is part of the larger Cross Valley Connector project and was made possible with our funding partner, Metro ($4.2 million) and in conjunction with Caltrans. I’d like to thank our ongoing partners Metro, Los Angeles County and Caltrans for their continuing support and contributions in helping to make Santa Clarita’s roads and trails safer and improving traffic flow.
The bridge improvements are not the only thing that will be new about the bridge. Assembly Member Scott Wilk authored Assembly Concurrent Resolution 89 to designate the bridge as the Connie Worden-Roberts Memorial Bridge.
The Golden Valley Road Bridge is being renamed in honor of Connie Worden-Roberts, a local advocate and Santa Clarita community leader known for her truly vital role in the formation and founding of the City of Santa Clarita in 1987 and often referred to as the “Road Warrior” for her many decades of service in getting road funding for our Valley, including the Cross-Valley Connector.
The bridge will stand as a permanent memorial of the life, service and dedication of Connie Worden-Roberts – a true pioneer for the City of Santa Clarita. Connie gave her life to public service as an advocate and tireless worker. She will be forever remembered.
On Tuesday, October 4, at 10 a.m., the City of Santa Clarita will be hosting a special ribbon cutting event and dedication of the newly-widened bridge, as well as unveiling a dedication sign for the bridge.
We are excited to be entering this final chapter of this project. The bridge widening will definitely make Golden Valley Road at State Route 14 Freeway less congested and safer for pedestrians and cyclists crossing the bridge.
I hope the next time you drive over the Golden Valley Road Bridge you will notice a drastic improvement in your drive.
Laurene Weste is a member of the Santa Clarita City Council and can be reached at [email protected].
