Officials with the city of Santa Clarita and other local elected officials gathered Tuesday morning to celebrate $1.5 million in federal funding to help improve some of the busy intersections around the city.
During a press conference held in front of the Albertson’s on Copper Hill Drive between Rio Norte Drive and Avenida Rancho Tesoro to kick off the Traffic and Pedestrian Circulation and Safety Improvements Project, Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth said the improvements are possible due to a bipartisan effort through the work of Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California.
“That work was instrumental in securing this $1.5 million, which will address critical traffic circulation and pedestrian improvements throughout the city,” Smyth said.
The project will see five intersections be improved:
- Copper Hill and Rio Norte.
- McBean Parkway and Newhall Ranch Road.
- Valley Center Drive and Golden Valley Road.
- Soledad Canyon Road and Golden Oak Road.
- Copper Hill and Newhall Ranch.
Construction at the Copper Hill-Rio Norte intersection is scheduled to begin on Monday, according to a city news release. Each intersection will be worked on one at a time. Construction is scheduled to finish in November.
Improvements include “modifications like raised center medians to accommodate triple-left turn lane pockets, a bus stop relocation, a right-turn lane extension and early access to left-turn lanes,” the city’s news release stated.
Garcia said he knows a project like this isn’t quite as glamorous as some others, but the benefits will be felt for years to come.
“This is one of those projects, it’s not the sexiest, not the most glamorous things that we’re working on,” Garcia said, “but this is one of those things that in a couple of years, we’re going to all realize the benefits of and this is why Santa Clarita is so special.”
The event was attended by multiple city officials, including City Council members Jason Gibbs, Marsha McLean and Laurene Weste, as well as representatives for L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, and Padilla.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Capt. Justin Diez was also in attendance. He said relieving congestion on the streets will help both pedestrians and those driving on the roads.
“This is a big town with a small-town feel, and part of keeping the small-town feel is not getting backed up on Copper Hill or any other streets,” Diez said. “And that was a point they made and obviously that’s a big part of it for us. A lot of law enforcement work that we do revolves around traffic. If you think about it, traffic collisions, citations, traffic hazards, so anything that they can do to improve traffic safety, basically keeping traffic flowing, is a significant help to law enforcement.”
