Group Vows to Fight Roadwork Planned Near Freeway

Saying the city of Santa Clarita has ignored clogged streets in the less-affluent eastern half of the city in its plan to seek federal funding for road improvements, a local citizens group is gearing up to oppose the plan.

The Santa Clarita Citizens Transportation Committee contends the city’s hope of obtaining federal money to improve several roads and three interchanges along the Golden State Freeway would benefit only the wealthier western part of the city--especially the Newhall Land & Farming Co. Leaders of the protest group contend the company is “not paying its share.”

The citizens committee plans to lobby city officials and conduct a letter-writing campaign in an effort to get the council to rethink the project.

On Feb. 11, the City Council voted to ask U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R--Santa Clarita) to acquire funds under the $150-billion Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, a federal transportation measure. If McKeon succeeds, the interchanges along the Golden State Freeway at Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia Boulevard and California 126 would be improved.

The council is also asking for funding to expand Magic Mountain Parkway to six lanes between the Golden State Freeway and McBean Parkway and to build a six-lane extension of Newhall Ranch Road from the Golden State Freeway to Bouquet Canyon Road.

The total cost would be somewhere between $100 million and $125 million, according to Mike Murphy, intergovernmental relations officer for the city.

“Nobody is getting a free ride,” said Gail Ortiz, a city spokeswoman, who also said that in the past eight years, the city has spent 60% of the $95 million of its capitol improvement money on projects in Canyon Country, on the city’s east side. Most of the city’s population resides in that area, Ortiz said.

But the Newhall Land & Farming Co. should pay for the improvements, said council members Jan Heidt and Jill Klajic, who voted against the proposal, which passed by a 3-2 vote. They contend that taxpayers would foot the bill for improvements that should be paid by Newhall Land, the largest developer in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Newhall Land, which owns large tracts in the western part of the valley, is planning several developments near the proposed improvements, including the 70,000-resident Newhall Ranch project.

“The people in the eastern part of town suffer because they don’t have a big developer turning the wheels for them,” said Klajic, referring to Newhall Land. “These federal roads are supposed to benefit the entire region, not be access roads for Newhall Land & Farming projects.

“If those people on the east side of town had a political godfather working for them, maybe they could get some attention.”

Marlee Lauffer, spokeswoman for Newhall Land, said the entire Santa Clarita Valley needs roads and that it makes no financial difference to Newhall Land whether the proposal qualifies for federal money or not, the company will still pay the same amount of bridge and thoroughfare fees required of developers.

“This plan doesn’t benefit Newhall Land,” Lauffer said. “It benefits the commuters of the Santa Clarita Valley.”

But Vera Johnson, chairwoman for the citizens committee, said the City Council should conduct a study to see what highways or roads would qualify for federal dollars in Canyon Country.