Freeway Project

On behalf of the District 7 office of Caltrans and, in particular our field personnel assigned to the Ventura Freeway rehabilitation project, I want to express our sincere thanks to Rick Schutt of Camarillo for his letter “Ventura Freeway,” Nov. 24.

As regular users of Route 101 probably realize, before a shovel was lifted to begin work last year, a lot of pre-planning went into our effort to keep motorists moving while construction was in progress.

We accomplished that goal through our eight-point traffic management plan which was a first-ever for Caltrans and the state of California.

One of the key elements of that plan concerned providing a frontage road for those traveling eastbound on Route 101 from the Conejo Valley to Warner Center. This road--which connected with Ventura Boulevard--allowed thousands of motorists to bypass the construction zone on the freeway.

Another area where motorists helped make our job easier was through the voluntary use of van/car-pools which also reduced congestion. I know many commuters thought they would be caught in a waking “nightmare” while construction was under way. Instead--the opposite occurred. Not only did traffic move through the work site, but motorists were able to experience more free-flow as compared to pre-construction weekday, stop-and-go driving.

The success of Phase I has been very gratifying for us. I know we have the community and elected officials to thank and many others--their cooperation made our success possible.

After the first of January, Phase II will get under way to add a lane in each direction of Route 101 from Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood to Wilbur Avenue in Tarzana. This $40-million 15-mile project will also include bridge work and asphalt concrete paving.

JERRY B. BAXTER

District 7 Director

Caltrans, Los Angeles