The Santa Clarita City Council on Tuesday night is expected vote on a plan to widen the Newhall Ranch Road Bridge, and on construction contracts totaling about $14.3 million for the project – with most of the money coming from federal grants.
The bridge, on Newhall Ranch Road, about a quarter-mile west of McBean Parkway, crosses the San Francisquito Creek and is part of the Cross Valley Connector that links I-5 and State Route 14.
Newhall Ranch Road narrows from eight lanes to six in that area and, according to a report from the city’s Public Works Department, “the existing bridge lane capacity is inadequate and requires widening to meet the City’s growing infrastructure needs.’’
“The proposed bridge widening will resolve the traffic ‘bottleneck’ in this area and will include a multi-use path to connect the existing trails along Newhall Ranch Road, provide a connection for the San Francisquito Creek Trail under the bridge, and add lighting on both sides of the bridge and new landscaped medians,’’ the report added.
According to the Public Works report, about $11.8 million will come from already-OK’d money from the Caltrans Federal Highway Bridge Program.
In addition, the report said, the county has promised $3.5 million for the project over an eight-year span. According to the proposal on the Council’s agenda Tuesday night, the city would loan $3.5 million to the Valencia Bridge and Thoroughfare District in the interim, with the money to be paid back with interest.
The total cost of the project is about $16.2 million, with other dollars covering “construction support, construction management, inspection, labor compliance, permits, utility costs, project administration, and post construction environmental mitigation,’’ according to the report.
The report recommends that the main construction contract go to Security Paving Company, Inc., of Sylmar — $11.3 million, plus a contingency fund bringing the total there to $12.5 million.
Another $1.9 million would go to a variety of construction support contracts.
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