Street Need Repaving? Ante Up

Dear Traffic Talk:

We have lived in the same house for 30 years in Encino and travel Louise Avenue between Burbank and Ventura boulevards at least once a day.

In all that time, the street has never been resurfaced. Can we expect this street to ever be resurfaced or will the city continue filling potholes once a year?

--Gary and Linn Saar

Encino

Dear Gary and Linn:

You should be willing to shell out a few extra bucks if you want to repave Louise Street between Burbank and Ventura boulevards, said Richard Evans, an engineer for the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services.

The city only makes minor repairs to that road and will not pay for a resurfacing project, he said.

That stretch of Louise Avenue had some potholes filled and other repairs done on April 27, but a complete resurfacing job has not been scheduled, Evans said.

If you want that stretch of Louise Avenue completely repaved, then the property owners living along the street must pay for it, he said. The work can be done by getting a permit and going through street improvement proceedings via the Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering’s Valley District office.

The cost of the work is determined by how much the property owners would benefit from the project, Evans said. To request repair service on your street, call (800) 996-2489.

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Dear Traffic Talk:

I live on Hiawatha Street in Northridge. It was a quiet street where the children could play and ride bikes safely.

Then the city installed a three-way light at the corner of Reseda Boulevard and Devonshire Street. Now all day and evening, especially during rush hours, many drivers coming south on Reseda look ahead to see if the left-turn arrow is red or about to turn red.

If so, they make a quick left turn onto Hiawatha (which is the last street before Devonshire) and fly down the once-quiet street at speeds up to 60 mph. Drivers then make a quick right turn on Etiwanda, which gets them back to Devonshire.

Instead of playful voices, we now are entertained by the deep roar of engines from the accelerating cars hurtling down the street.

A similar situation existed going east on Rinaldi Street approaching Balboa Boulevard. At the last street before Balboa, a “no left turn” island was installed, which remedied the problem. Is this a possible solution for us?

--Bruce Madden

Northridge

Dear Bruce:

It looks like an island preventing left turns onto your street would not be a good idea since it would simply divert traffic to another residential neighborhood, said Ray Wellbaum, an engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

“Any left-turn restriction on Hiawatha would affect a whole community east of Reseda Boulevard,” Wellbaum said. “The whole neighborhood would eventually become inaccessible.”

Wellbaum said if a left-turn restriction were placed on Hiawatha Street, cars would simply change their detour to the next street north, causing the same problems you’re experiencing. Also, access to the neighborhood would be very limited for its residents, he said.

“If we were to put a restriction on Hiawatha, we would have to consider the same option for San Jose Street and Kingsbury Street,” Wellbaum said. “What starts as a simple solution to a problem is actually not so simple.”

A more reasonable option would be to install speed bumps along Hiawatha to slow the speeding motorists taking a detour through your neighborhood, Wellbaum said.

If you would like city officials to study options, write to Wellbaum at: West Valley District Office, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, 19040 Vanowen St., Reseda 91335.