California 118 Widening Plans

* Re “Rocky Stretch of Road to the Sea,” Oct. 22.

The widening of California 118 has been planned since the 1980s. Our projections of traffic come from our county traffic model, which is based on the adopted general plans for cities and the county, and is consistent with the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiative. Our current traffic and planned growth shows there is a need for a widened road.

It is expected that comprehensive planning for improvements on California 118 will begin in about a year and a half, not in the next couple of months as stated in your article. The Ventura County Transportation Commission will undertake long-range planning for the entire 118 corridor from where the 118 [Ronald Reagan] Freeway ends in Moorpark to California 126. It is expected that the environmental process alone will take three to four years. No money can be programmed for major construction of a widened road until the environmental process is completed. As has been publicly stated many times, part of our study will include consideration of a Somis bypass.

It is expected, based on today’s laws and funding availability, that it will take at least 15 years before any construction other than minor safety or operational improvements can take place on the road. Even if we wanted to make something happen sooner, it wouldn’t.

Also, VCTC has begun some preliminary work needed to assist us when we begin comprehensive planning on California 118. We have funded and asked the city of Moorpark to conduct a bypass study of downtown Moorpark. In addition, we have asked the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans to determine a site where a full, technologically advanced truck weigh and inspection station can be located.

I understand that the large number of trucks using California 118 is a cause for concern because many of the trucks are slow-moving and impatient drivers try to pass them on this busy two-lane road. Wilbur Smith & Associates is finalizing a port access study for VCTC. We hope to present this report to VCTC shortly. [It shows that] trucks coming to or going from the port make up only 2% of the truck traffic on California 118.

Currently, 30% of the trucks on California 118 are traveling through Ventura County, meaning the other 70% are bound for locations within the county. While we have made studies of truck traffic from the port and Oxnard has widened Rice Avenue and intends to improve the Rice Avenue / 101 interchange, these improvements are not expected to increase truck traffic on California 118.

Finally, the county of Ventura is in the midst of the environmental process to consider improvements to Santa Clara Avenue in Nyeland Acres. This is an area where homes front onto one side of the road.

Based on local traffic projections [even with] SOAR, it is clear that traffic conditions will worsen in this area, making it more difficult for residents to get in and out of their driveways. Primary consideration should be given to the quality of life for these residents when the decision is made whether to add an additional traffic lane, left-turn lane, new traffic light and a median to make turning safer.

There are a number of individuals who continue to invoke SOAR to imply that the traffic projections are somehow incorrect and if we did things right, traffic would not get worse. Nonsense! SOAR has frozen the existing general plans, which means that our traffic model should be more accurate since unplanned growth will not occur.

GINGER GHERARDI

Executive director,

Ventura County Transportation

Commission