One of the most important things we do at the City of Santa Clarita is maintenance of the City’s infrastructure. This includes projects to fix damaged sidewalks that may be unsafe tripping hazards, and repairing paseo bridges so they remain in good condition.
Another significant project we undertake annually is the Road Rehab project; an effort by the City to improve roadways and extend their life through resurfacing treatments called Slurry Seal and Overlay. Slurry Seal is a coating of finely crushed aggregate and oil blend applied to roadways to extend their life. Overlay is a coating of crushed aggregate, and oil blend applied to roadways after grinding up the old asphalt.
The City of Santa Clarita spans 64 square miles; that translates to many streets and roads needing regular maintenance. This is an important task and one that our residents appreciate. Poorly maintained roads constrain mobility, increase chances of accidents and significantly raise vehicle operating costs.
The City’s Road Rehab overlay and slurry seal program is responsible for over 516 miles of major and minor streets. Every year, as part of the program, we analyze the City’s roads for maintenance needs.
When summer rolls around in Santa Clarita, you might start spotting more construction workers in yellow vests working along our streets as this is the time the Road Rehab projects kick off.
This year, the City of Santa Clarita resurfaced streets in all four communities of the City: Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus and Valencia. You may have noticed smoother streets along Valencia Boulevard as a result of the Road Rehab project. One of our remaining overlay projects is on Soledad Canyon Road near the Santa Clara River. This particular project required us to temporarily close a few lanes to allow staff to conduct concrete work that must be completed before we can begin the final step of road paving. The road paving process will be done at night so as to have minimal impact on our residents.
Once finished, Soledad Canyon Road will be safer and smoother. In addition, new ADA-compliant ramps are being replaced along the road to ensure they are usable for individuals with disabilities.
The Road Rehab project requires our staff to work in close proximity to homes and residents. For this reason, we are meticulous about providing advanced notice to our impacted residents through letters, door hangers and posted parking signs. I’d like to thank the residents who have already received road resurfacing in their neighborhoods for being cooperative and patient as we completed our work.
In an effort to communicate in a timely manner and ensure that all of our residents stay in-the-know with the progress of the Road Rehab project, we launched a Road Rehab website which you can visit at santa-clarita.com/resurfacing. One of the most useful tools on the website is our clickable interactive map, which details the streets being serviced, the type of treatment being received (Overlay or Slurry Seal) and the construction start date.
On the website you will also find answers to frequently asked questions, info graphs simplifying and explaining each road treatment; helpful tips and instructions on what to do during the construction process; photographs sharing the transformation of weathered streets when repaved; contact information and our project hotline number.
In addition to looking beautiful, when kept pristine, roads make a contribution to the growth of a community and provide many social benefits. I hope the next time you drive along freshly paved streets in Santa Clarita, you’ll be able to notice a smoother and safer ride.
Robert Newman is the Director of Public Works for the City of Santa Clarita and can be reached at: [email protected].
