Widening of Clogged 118 Freeway May Be Late in Coming

Dear Street Smart:

I’m fed up with the long lines of traffic coming out of Moorpark on California 118.

Each day, between 3:30 and 6 p.m., traffic comes to a halt all the way from Moorpark to Somis Road.

It takes about twice as long to get through there as it should.

Can’t something be done to speed up the traffic?

Barbara Spencer, Camarillo

Dear Reader:

Solving the traffic problems on California 118 is an involved and costly process.

The most recent highway project list for Ventura County estimates that a long stretch of 118, including the section between Moorpark and Somis Road could be widened from two to four lanes sometime around 2011 at a cost of more than $75 million.

But state funding shortages and the push to retrofit bridges throughout the state to make them earthquake-safe could postpone that project indefinitely.

In the meantime, Caltrans hopes to widen to four lanes the road directly surrounding the intersection of California 118 and Somis Road.

But don’t expect to see even this small improvement any time soon.

That project, a joint effort between Caltrans and Ventura County, would cost an estimated $2.5 million, and it could be several years before both agencies scrape together the cash to pay for the work.

If it’s any consolation, Caltrans is checking the timing of the signal at California 118 and Somis Road to see if tinkering with it would improve traffic flow.

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Dear Street Smart:

Do you ever wonder why you need a front-wheel alignment every couple of months?

You must be driving on California 126.

The railroad crossings are a joke--especially the one near Hallock Drive in Santa Paula.

I have driven across cattle guards in Wyoming at 55 m.p.h. and hardly knew they were there.

Is there any reason we can’t hire a contractor to fix this railroad crossing problem once and for all?

Why can’t all railroad crossings be smooth, like the one at Figueroa Street in Ventura or at Levee Drive in Fillmore?

Ernie King, Fillmore

Dear Reader:

How many agencies does it take to fix a bumpy railroad crossing?

As many as three, says Caltrans traffic engineer Luu Nguyen.

In a test drive over the railroad crossing at California 126 and Hallock, as well as four other crossings along the highway, Caltrans found your assessment accurate.

“It is bumpy, it is rough,” Nguyen says.

But smoothing out the roadway isn’t just a matter of throwing down a few slabs of rubberized paneling.

Depending on the severity of the problem, the work could cost $100,000 or more per crossing. And according to state regulations, it must be approved and funded, at least in part, by Southern Pacific, which runs the trains and maintains the tracks.

If the railroad balks, Caltrans must decide whether to take the matter to the state’s Public Utilities Commission, which would determine whether the work is necessary and who should pay for it.

“It could take a while,” Nguyen says.

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Dear Street Smart:

As Cele Porges stated in your Street Smart column a few months ago, there is a problem at the Santa Rosa-Pleasant Valley off-ramp from the eastbound Ventura Freeway.

There are two left-turn lanes from the off-ramp onto Santa Rosa. Both my wife and I have difficulty staying in the lane when turning from the left of these two.

And we have both often been forced to the right by other drivers having trouble staying in their lane.

It is my opinion that the center divider on Santa Rosa extends too far into the intersection.

In sharp contrast to this is the similar intersection at Lynn Road, where both left-turn lanes are easily negotiated.

Speed can always be a problem, but it is not the problem in this case.

Robert A. McKean, Camarillo

Dear Reader:

After hearing the concerns of Ms. Porges, Caltrans checked out the intersection and found it in good working order.

Your complaint prompted a second look, and Caltrans traffic engineer Luu Nguyen maintains that there is no real problem at the intersection.

The width of the lanes and the length of the center divider are all appropriate for the intersection, Nguyen says.

Caltrans will, however, install raised lane markers to alert drivers who inadvertently wander out of their lane.