LAKE VIEW TERRACE : State May Relinquish Foothill Blvd. Section

A state commission will decide within two months whether to spend $6.8 million to repair Foothill Boulevard from Wheatland Avenue in Lake View Terrace to Lowell Avenue in Tujunga, officials said.

The state is trying to relinquish the roadway, once a part of the state highway system, to the city, but Los Angeles does not want to take ownership until the road, which residents have long complained is in need of repair, is upgraded.

The $6.8-million figure has been agreed to by the state Department of Transportation and Los Angeles city engineers as the amount needed for repairs, but the project still has to be approved by the California Transportation Commission as part of the annual work list. The decision on which projects are included on the list will be made within two months, said Debbie Mah, a senior transportation engineer with Caltrans.

With construction of the modern freeway system, former highways no longer serve the function of serving regional transportation needs, and the state has been handing over parts of them to municipalities, Caltrans spokesman John Shaw said Wednesday.

Construction on Foothill Boulevard could begin in 1995 or 1996, including repair of the pavement, gutters and curbs, if the commission gives its approval, Mah said.

The roadway would be accepted by the city of Los Angeles only after the repair work is completed, inspected and the transfer is approved by the City Council, said Robert Paul, a senior management analyst with the city’s Bureau of Engineering.

Last year, the state relinquished another section of Foothill Boulevard, between Paxton Avenue and Wheatland, but without completing repairs to the road. However, Caltrans has agreed to finish about $300,000 in repairs on that segment, Paul said.