Widening of California 126 to Add 2 Lanes Begins East of Fillmore

State transportation crews have begun the latest stage of a widening project along California 126 that will add a second lane of traffic to each side of the highway east of Fillmore.

Workers spent this week cutting roadside trees to make room for equipment needed for the job.

Traffic engineers plan to widen 5 1/2 miles of the highway between Piru and the Los Angeles County line, an $11.4-million improvement project expected to be completed in two years.

Thousands of Santa Clara River Valley residents use the two-lane road to commute to jobs in the San Fernando Valley and elsewhere in the Los Angeles Basin.

“Any time you go from two to four lanes, the widening makes it safer and a better drive for everyone,” said Pat Reid, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation.

“Also, there are a lot of commercial trucks that go from Ventura County over to Interstate 5 and then straight up the Central Valley,” Reid said.

Engineers also will install square bumps along the center dividers to alert motorists when they cross into the median.

That safety precaution was sought by Caltrans, local engineers and community members after a series of fatal crashes along California 126, known by many as Ventura County’s “Blood Alley.”

“I’m very pleased,” said Fillmore Mayor Roger Campbell, who has lobbied Caltrans for years for a safety device along the center dividers. “Both things together are going to make things much safer.”

More than 30,000 drivers pass through Fillmore on California 126 every day, according to studies by the city.

Other improvements are planned for California 126 east of Fillmore.

Last month, the Ventura County Transportation Commission recommended that $300,000 in federal money be set aside for the Rancho Camulos Historic Preservation Project, which would restore an earthquake-damaged adobe house and construct a rest stop.

That money has not yet been secured by local officials.

The widening project is the fifth phase of a six-phase plan to make the route four lanes from Ventura to Interstate 5.

Caltrans workers completed the first leg between Santa Paula and Fillmore in 1985 and the fourth phase was completed in 1994. Work on the final leg from the Ventura County line to Interstate 5 is scheduled to begin late next year and take two years, Caltrans officials said.

“I realize government takes a long time to do things,” said Campbell, a volunteer fire chief who has responded to many accidents along California 126. “I’m just real happy they’re down to the last two phases.”