Caltrans Asked to Study Ventura Freeway Onramp
The City Council has asked Caltrans to study a westbound Ventura Freeway onramp where a college student was killed after he lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a gasoline tanker in December.
California Highway Patrol officials said Zaki Gordon, 22, lost control on wet pavement at the northbound Lindero Canyon Road onramp and fishtailed into the tanker, which overturned and exploded.
Gordon was killed when fire from the burning gasoline engulfed his Chevrolet Blazer.
Westlake Village City Council members said the ramp’s tight curve makes it tough to accelerate enough to safely join the westbound traffic.
“You just can’t get up to speed,” said Mayor Pro Tem James Henderson. “I’ve had a number of people complain to me about it, even before the accident happened.”
Henderson said the city’s traffic engineer sent a letter to Caltrans asking to discuss the ramp’s safety. Ideally, he said, city officials would like the state to rebuild the ramp with a looser curve.
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