Local dignitaries gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of The Old Road Improvements project on Friday in Castaic, a $250 million project planned to expand and reconstruct 2 miles of the transportationcorridor parallel to Interstate 5.
Improvements will take place in two phases, which includes widening the roadway from two to three lanes in each direction with the addition of bike lanes, sidewalks and ADA-compliant curb ramps, landscaped medians, and streetlights.
Phase No. 1 of the project stretches from Mayo Drive to Rye Canyon Road and will continue until 2028. Phase No. 2 of the project will stretch from the Rye Canyon Road/I-5 ramp to Magic Mountain Parkway and is set to begin in 2027 and finished by early 2031.
Local dignitaries, including Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R- Acton, L.A. County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella, L.A. Metro Chief Planning Officer Ray Sosa, and FivePoint CEO Daniel Hedigan and city Mayor Laurene Weste all gave remarks on the significance of the milestone and what it will do for the growing Santa Clarita Valley community.
“This has been a project and a priority for me since I was elected in office. It’s an important milestone for our Santa Clarita Valley residents, businesses and everyone who relies on this quarter each and everyday,” Barger said.
Barger thanked the support of FivePoint during her remarks, who will be financing $62 million of Phase No. 2 of the project and L.A. Metro, who will be contributing $49 million through various grants. Caltrans has also allocated $39 million in federal highway administration funds through the state highway bridge program. Rep. George Whitesides, D- Agua Dulce, also allocated approximately $6 million from federal community project funds.
“As you can see this project reflects not only public private partnerships but also an investment from all levels of government, local, state, and federal highlighting the regional significance of this order,” Barger said.
The improvements of the corridor will also allow first responders and law enforcement to ensure public safety during emergencies including wildfires, with the valley’s growing community.
Pestrella said the project will be modern infrastructure, and it would be completed on time and on budget, after he thanked a team of project managers, designers, planners and environmental specialists for the collaborative efforts.
The project “will reflect the current community that lives in Santa Clarita and future communities. It will serve them in a very, very important capacity,” he added.
In Phase No. 2, two aging bridges, classified as structurally deficient — meaning they’ve reached the end of their design life — will be replaced. They will be replaced with modern, seismically sound infrastructure.
Martinez Valladares took a moment during her remarks to thank the men and women who will be build the project throughout the upcoming years.
“These are investments that make everyday life better for the people who live, work and raise families here. It’s about investing in our future, strengthening our economy, improving public safety and preserving the quality of life that makes the Santa Clarita Valley such a special place to call home,” she added.
“We rely on this road every day. It’s critical. It has been critical for 90 to 100 years, so I’m grateful,” Weste said, thanking Barger for her efforts. She also added that, in the future, there will be additionalrecreational trails near The Old Road as well, completely vitalizing the area.
Ray Sosa, chief planning officer for L.A. Metro , was the last to give his remarks, saying The Old Road project is what voters were looking for when they passed Measure R and M — “real improvements, breaking ground, improving safety, upgrading aging infrastructure, and providing livability and mobility to local communities.”
