California 23 Project Set to Begin

After years of project delays, Ventura County commuters can soon look forward to some relief as construction begins this weekend on expansion of heavily traveled California 23 between Moorpark and Thousand Oaks.

Beginning at 10 p.m. Sunday, Caltrans contractors will shut down half of the highway’s northbound and southbound lanes for construction of sound walls. Several side streets in the two cities will also be shut down.

This is the first phase of a three-year, $60-million improvement project for the 7 1/2 miles north of Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks to the bridge near New Los Angeles Avenue in Moorpark. The highway will be widened from four to six lanes.

“I’m thrilled that it’s finally started,” said Moorpark City Councilman Keith Millhouse, who is also a county transportation commissioner. “This will be a great benefit both to commuters and business owners.”

Transportation planners first noticed an uptick in traffic 15 years ago and began designing an expansion of the highway in 1996. But state budget woes prompted legislators to divert gas tax money to other transportation programs, stalling plans to widen the highway.

Traffic on California 23 has grown from an average of 87,000 vehicles daily in 1995 to about 99,000 vehicles today, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Millhouse said he is “intimately familiar” with the traffic problems because he travels the route daily from his Moorpark home to his Westlake Village law office. What should be a 15-minute one-way trip, he said, is often 40 minutes or more.

Steady population growth and an increase in jobs in the county have led to more vehicles on the road, Millhouse said. To avoid the crowded highway, motorists often turn to surface streets, which exacerbates the problem.

“Whether you’re in the daily commute or not, you’re affected by traffic,” Millhouse said. Congestion increases air pollution and contributes to higher business costs, which then get passed on to consumers, he said.

Samia Maximous of the Ventura County Transportation Commission said new sound walls should significantly reduce the din of vehicle noise in adjacent neighborhoods.

“The walls have been designed to reduce the noise by five decibels, minimum,” said the engineer, who lives two blocks from the highway. “You won’t have to shout if you’re having a conversation in your backyard.”

The following roads will be closed nightly:

* Sunday through Friday: One lane on each side of California 23 -- from New Los Angeles Avenue to Sunset Hills Boulevard in Thousand Oaks -- will be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

* Sunday through Wednesday: Erbes Road will be closed near the overpass of California 23 in both directions from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

* Tuesday and Wednesday: Olsen Road will be closed on both sides of the California 23 overpass from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

* Wednesday through Friday: Tierra Rejada Road near the California 23 intersection will be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

For more information, visit the Caltrans website: www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/aboutdist7/currproj/project_detail.phpid73