SIMI VALLEY : City to Urge State to Pave Freeway Ramps

Simi Valley officials and state Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) said they will urge state transportation officials to finish building two Simi Valley Freeway ramps at the eastern edge of the city.

City officials said the eastbound off-ramp and westbound on-ramp at Rocky Peak Road must be completed so that police and fire vehicles can respond more quickly to emergencies in that part of the city.

Simi Valley Police Lt. Dick Thomas said police and fire vehicles sometimes must travel almost four miles to the Topanga Canyon Boulevard exit to turn around on the freeway because of the missing ramps, which are graded but not paved.

“By the time they go around, a life could be threatened,” Thomas said.

The City Council voted unanimously last week to send Wright a letter supporting prompt completion of the ramps.

A spokesman for the senator said that she has received a similar letter from the Ventura County Fire Department and that the ramp requests will be relayed to the state Department of Transportation.

Russell Snyder, a Caltrans spokesman, said design work for the ramps has been done, but no money has been allocated to construct them.

He said the Ventura County Transportation Commission must first recommend the ramps for funding.

Construction of the ramps will have to compete with other county projects for the limited transportation dollars available, said Diane Collins, a commission staff member.