Widening Planned for Busy Stretch of Magnolia

Dear Traffic Talk:

Traffic has increased dramatically on eastbound Magnolia Boulevard, between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and the Hollywood-170 Freeway. There is traffic from two high schools, apartment residents and a church.

Are there plans to restripe lanes, fill potholes, and install left-turn signals at Colfax Avenue and Magnolia, in all directions?

--Pauline Gates

Valley Village

Dear Pauline:

Workers will widen Magnolia, between Colfax and the 170 freeway, for traffic in both directions starting in June, said Henry Ong, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Public Works Department. The project should take about six months to complete and better accommodate the heavy traffic when finished, officials said.

There are currently no plans to retouch the striping because it’s still visible, said Irwin L. Chodash, East Valley transportation engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Officials prefer to restripe a street when it also is going to be resurfaced because the paint adheres to the pavement better, he said.

However, workers will resurface this stretch of Magnolia when it is widened, officials added.

Following a study, engineers determined the intersection does not meet city guidelines for installing left turn signals, Chodash said. Engineers came to that conclusion after analyzing vehicle counts and accident reports, he said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

Why has the city not installed left-turn arrows for drivers on San Fernando Mission Boulevard turning left onto Sepulveda Boulevard and from Sepulveda to San Fernando Mission?

--Maryann Mendez

Northridge

Dear Maryann:

Left-turn signals are not needed here, said Chodash. Installing them would require providing less green time for through traffic and slow down drivers on both streets, he said. Left-turn arrows are installed where there is a sustained high number of left-turn motorists, a recorded pattern of accidents that can be corrected only by left-turn signals or where there are visibility problems, Chodash said. None of these conditions exist at this intersection, he said.