Community in Newhall Gets Road Nobody Wants to Use

It’s Santa Clarita’s newest road. And with any luck, its builders say, it will never be used.

The gated, mile-long road was built to give a secluded Newhall neighborhood an emergency escape route in case of fire, earthquake or other disaster. The neighborhood, known as the Circle J development, is accessible only by Circle J Ranch Road, which crosses railroad tracks that parallel San Fernando Road.

Residents have complained for years that the community of 500 households could be cut off from firefighters or police if a train stalls or derails, blocking the road. The two-lane emergency road connects Circle J Ranch Road with 12th Street, which crosses the railroad tracks a mile to the south.

On Monday, officials from Santa Clarita and Watt America, the Circle J developer, announced that the road was ready for use. Richard S. Urso, president of Watt America, said it will cost his company about $1 million to build the road and provide security guards for a three-year period. A guard will watch the gate 24 hours a day, a condition imposed by the city.

The guards will open the gate during emergencies or when a train blocks Circle J Ranch Road for more than 20 minutes, he said. Urso said he hopes the guards never have to unlock the gate.

The city required the road to remain closed except in emergencies. It is unsuitable for everyday use because it crosses a dry riverbed and is not lighted, Medina said.

The emergency road will no longer be necessary once the city builds a bridge to span the railroad tracks, linking Circle J Ranch Road with Wiley Canyon Road across the Santa Clara River, Medina said.

The Wiley Canyon Bridge, however, will not be built for several years, Medina said. Watt America is contributing $4.5 million of the $9-million to $10-million cost of the bridge, he said.