The Santa Clarita City Council is being asked to approve a $1.5 million plan to pave about 1.3 miles for the design and construction of road improvements near the Haskell Canyon Open Space.
This roadway provides access to the Santa Clarita Archery Range and Haskell Canyon Bike Park.
The changes are expected to improve access to the nearby Haskell Canyon Bike Park and address recent concerns shared by the park’s neighbors, a city official confirmed Friday.
The scope of the work is expected to include re-grading the existing access road; re-compacting the existing road; paving the road with asphalt concrete; as well installing speed cushions, signs and pavement markings.
The plan is connected to two open space properties the city has in Saugus, the 526-acre Haskell Canyon Open Space, and Blue Cloud Open Space, another 196 acres, which abuts the first property’s eastern boundary.
The area is adjacent to the Angeles National Forest, as well as L.A. County Department of Water and Power property, and includes the Haskell Canyon Bike Park, which was finished earlier this year.
The council’s approval, expected Tuesday, also looks ahead for a contract to award the design of two future crossings at Haskell Creek, which are part of LADWP requirements, according to the city.
CIty officials said in the agenda for Tuesday that the plan is part of the city’s five-year plan, “Santa Clarita Pathway Forward,” their five-year strategic plan.
For residents near the park, the improvements have been described as long-promised and overdue.
The city has heard from residents about the situation for years, according to another resident who voiced his displeasure to City Hall for months, and then to The Signal, last week.
In the spring, a city social media post sought to discourage, “Riding dirt bikes or any motorized vehicles inside the Haskell Canyon Bike Park construction area is not allowed and is actively damaging the park, delaying its opening and impacting the quality of the facility for everyone who is excited to use it.”
Residents next to the park have said dust from the access road leading to the open space has been spewing dust into their yards for years.
The city responded in May by saying it was working on the access-road issue with the LADWP, which had the rights to the access road.
“This land is owned by LADWP and part of our power infrastructure right-of-way,” according to a May 21 email fron Ellen Chang, spokeswoman for the utility. “LADWP is in negotiation with the city of Santa Clarita to address the additional traffic on LADWP land resulting from the Haskell Canyon Bike Park Project.”
The council’s meeting is scheduled 6 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd.
