Freeway Link Draws Praise for Reducing Street Traffic : Transportation: A study shows a sharp reduction in congestion on Simi Valley’s busiest roadways as more drivers use the 2.2-mile connector to Moorpark.

Two and a half months after its opening, a long-awaited link between the Simi Valley and Moorpark freeways is winning praise from residents and city officials for providing a quicker route between the cities and cutting traffic in half on congested city streets.

A study conducted by the city of Simi Valley and Caltrans last month showed that during peak hours, traffic fell dramatically on three of the city’s busiest roadways.

During its busiest morning hour, the number of motorists traveling on Tierra Rejada Road plunged from 2,500 to 1,150. On Madera Road between Easy Street and Los Angeles Avenue, the hourly traffic rate fell from 4,000 to 2,150. And on Viewline Drive the 1,900 motorists traveling between Madera Road and the Moorpark Freeway on-ramp dropped to 1,070.

“It’s been an unexpected delight” said Simi Valley traffic engineer Bill Golubics. “We predicted a decrease, but these numbers really exceeded our expectations.”

In response to the study, Simi Valley officials last month decided to drop a lawsuit against the city of Thousand Oaks to force extension of Sunset Hills Boulevard.

The extension was planned to offer an alternative route from Simi Valley to Thousand Oaks. But motorists’ willingness to use the freeway connector and free up city streets led city officials to decide that the road extension was not needed.

“It’s been a real timesaver,” Simi Valley City Councilwoman Judy Mikels said. “I think it’s helped keep us all a little more sane.”

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A similar study under way in Moorpark should be completed by the end of the month, Mayor Paul Lawrason said.

“We don’t have the hard numbers yet, but it’s clear that it’s seriously cut down on traffic through the downtown,” Lawrason said. “It’s been a tremendous benefit in helping people get in and out of the city.”

Residents are equally enthusiastic about the connector.

Thousand Oaks resident Helen Greyson said the connector has made it easier for her to visit her son, who lives in Moorpark.

“When I get caught in traffic, I sit there and steam and my blood pressure goes through the roof,” the retired schoolteacher said. “So I’m not kidding--the new freeway has been good for my health.”

Conceived nearly two decades ago and opened in mid-October, the 2.2-mile stretch of freeway located in Moorpark took 2 1/2 years to build and cost $39.5 million. Included in the link are a pair of bridges that soar as high as 100 feet above the Arroyo Simi channel.

Before it opened, motorists traveling from the Moorpark Freeway to the Simi Valley Freeway had to follow a winding, 3.4-mile course along New Los Angeles Avenue, Spring Road and Los Angeles Avenue.

The California Department of Transportation estimated that 23,000 vehicles per day were using the narrow, two-lane route. The agency predicted that the figure would more than triple by 2010.

Caltrans is planning to install electronic traffic counters later this month to monitor the flow of traffic along the new connector. The devices, copper loops installed under the roadway, are used throughout the state highway system to keep track of the traffic flow, Caltrans spokesman Russ Snyder said.

“We haven’t done any formal studies on the connector, but traffic seems to be moving along quite smoothly,” Snyder said.

Aside from a minor drainage problem causing erosion along the banks of the Arroyo Simi channel, the freeway has been operating glitch-free, Caltrans maintenance supervisor Dave Servaes said.

“It’s not a big deal,” Servaes said of the drainage problem. “It’s just one of those little things that doesn’t show up when you’re reviewing the plans.”

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Plans are in the works to repair the drain soon, Servaes said.

With the actual connector open and running smoothly, Caltrans is concentrating its efforts on landscaping around the freeway.

Over the next several months, Caltrans will pay $50,000 to plant 1,000 oak seedlings to replace 87 oak trees uprooted for the connector.

Caltrans is working with the Ventura County Transportation Commission to come up with an additional $70,000 to pay for 20 acres of landscaping along the freeway and in nearby neighborhoods, Snyder said.

Once the funds are secured, Caltrans will confer with Moorpark officials to select mutually agreeable drought-tolerant trees and shrubs. Caltrans will pay the entire cost of maintaining the landscaping, Snyder said.

“It’s been part of the plan all along to plant the trees and do the other landscaping,” Snyder said. “Now it’s just a matter of getting the funds together and coordinating with the city.”