Caltrans to Study New Freeway Access
Caltrans has begun environmental studies to determine what kind of freeway access to build near Mussel Shoals and La Conchita.
The on- and offramps from the 101 Freeway to those communities are dangerous and need to be corrected, according to officials with the state Department of Transportation.
“There have been some major accidents there,” said Richard Galvin, environmental planner for Caltrans.
The state agency is considering three options: closing the ramps altogether and making residents drive to the next offramp to turn around, building a tunnel under the freeway connecting the two communities and allowing each side to access the freeway in one direction, or building a full-blown interchange.
The cost will range from $2 million to $40 million, depending on the option.
Galvin said Caltrans is trying to fix the situation while minimizing the environmental damage to surrounding areas.
Both communities were settled in the 1920s before the road was built into a freeway. In 1954, freeway construction split La Conchita from the ocean, and now motorists are forced to dart across lanes of speeding traffic to go south on the Ventura Freeway. Mussel Shoals drivers face the same situation heading north.
The environmental report should be made public in March. For information, call Galvin at (213) 897-1090.
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