VENTURA : Extend Bridge Above River, Group Says

A local environmental group is calling on state Sen. Jack O’Connell to help raise a span of the Ventura Freeway that crosses the Ventura River to avoid future road closures during heavy rains.

The Friends of the Ventura River said extending the bridge above the waterway would be a better solution than altering the river’s flow with new berms or levies. The group is also asking that a concrete berm built after a 1969 flood be removed.

“The river is going to wind up being the scapegoat here if those primary faults in the freeway system aren’t repaired,” spokesman Russ Baggerly said.

“Because the freeway was built improperly, (the state) can turn around and try to blame the river for flooding,” Baggerly said. “Somebody might want to say the easier way to solve the flooding is to build a westerly levy, and that would kill a wild river.”

In a letter addressed to O’Connell, the group said the Ventura Freeway has flooded five times since it opened in 1964, including twice in the past three years.

Last month, one person died and more than a dozen others were rescued after the river swelled from heavy rains. A portion of the freeway was closed for more than 24 hours while road crews worked on the flooded section.

Aides to O’Connell said Thursday that the senator had not yet reviewed the issue.