Metro officials are recommending toll roads for the carpool-lane project for Interstate 5, following a staff recommendation Wednesday.
“(The agenda item) is to get authorization to have that as the locally preferred alternative,” said Mark Dierking, Metro community relations manager. “It’s basically to say it’s Metro’s preferred option for expansion.”
The project is far from a done deal, according to Metro official, who say the move is a formality, and characterized the process as about halfway to where it needs to be for approval.
Right now, the project has been approved as high occupancy-vehicle, or carpool, lanes.
Caltrans officials have cited the need for additional lanes on the I-5 but, citing a lack of funds for the project, they say it may take decades to get additional lanes built.
“Metro is proposing to widen the I-5 freeway in the Santa Clarita area in five years instead of 30 years,” said Lan Saadatnejadi, executive officer for Metro’s Highway Program, in a recent interview.
“This will reduce congestion, improve safety and provide jobs to the people of the Santa Clarita and Los Angeles area,” she said.
Metro is looking for funding partnerships for the program because the project, which would cost approximately $310 million, only has about 75 percent of the necessary funds available.
The move is drawing ire from city officials who have said it’s not right to have to charge Santa Clarita Valley commuters twice to have the roads they need to get to work.
City Councilwoman Marsha McLean said she was in favor of improving the I-5 commute, but she wanted to make sure it was done with the consent of as many of those who would be affected as possible.
She didn’t think many people were aware of how far along the process was, and the feedback that she’d heard locally did not seem to be in favor of the project.
“I know it’s a choice, but I just think that we need to find the money to do this without charging people to use the lanes,” McLean said.
Metro officials acknowledged that there might be some misinformation out there about the project, but they were conducting outreach to try and address those concerns and questions.
City Councilman TimBen Boydston objected to a toll-lane because he likened it to double taxation.
“I don’t like the idea that the people of California would have to pay for the toll roads twice,” he said. “The toll roads are being built with tax money — gas tax money. The state promises us to build roads with its gas tax money and now they want to charge us.”
The pay lanes would have a guaranteed minimum speed of 45 mph at all times, according to Metro officials.
If the project receives local approvals, the project will be submitted to the California Transportation Commission in October or November, Dierking said.
The next meeting that will address the toll-lane project will be the MTA board meeting next Thursday at Metro headquarters at 1 Gateway Plaza in downtown Los Angeles.
The building is right next to Union Station, if Santa Clarita Valley commuters wish to make the trip. The meeting will take place at 9 a.m.
Public comment on the toll-lane project also may be submitted via email at dierkingm@metro.net
Caltrans held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Pacoima on Thursday to mark the completion of two projects that together add 16 miles of new lanes to Los Angeles County’s carpool lane system. The projects will increase safety, ease traffic congestion and improve travel times, saving motorists about a minute per mile.…
Starting Monday night, Caltrans will create new temporary lanes on southbound Interstate 5, part of a $171 million freeway repaving project in and near the city of Santa Clarita.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials are trying to get the word out about a partnership they say will speed up the process for much needed local carpool lanes on Interstate 5. The project they are proposing would be a first-of-its-kind project for the area, a public-private partnership that would add toll-road…
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SUCH CRAP!! Why should anyone have to pay to use roads we ALREADY pay for. Only the rich SOB’s will do that leaving us poor and middle class folks to sit in Sh*t traffic watching the BMWs and Mercedes supposedly fly by at a supposed “guarantee of 45mph”. Good f&%$ing luck with that. This is just government trying to cover for their very poor budget planning and spending. Besides they have to pay for their ridiculously night salaries (for the lack of actual work they do) some how.
I’m sorry for the rant but this ticks me off. Why can’t they take the money we pay already and just add a lane. Carpool lanes prove over and over that they don’t do anything for air quality.
PS. I take the train which I pay a small fortune for the privilege to do.
nice rant but might be pointless to fight this. toll lanes are proving to work in areas they are being tested or used across the country.
our society needs to fundamentally change, meaning, we need to change the way we commute. for example, more companies need to offer telecommuting options. schools need to change their hours of classes, especially during the morning hours. trucks need to reschedule their hours of operation. what i am getting at is the rush hour commute time needs to change. one of the issues we have is we are stuck in a 9 to 5, old world mentality of our parents’ generation. the freeway system was not designed (another issues) to handle the current traffic flow, especially at key times of the day.
this article and the comments of our local leaders tells me they don’t get it. santa carita is a commuter city. yet, what has santa clarita really done – more importantly – doing to ease, asset and plan for commuting into and out of SFV and point beyond? offer busses? lobbied for the metro link? not enough. valencia is a master planned community that started in the late 70s or so, back then they knew full well that someday down the road this area would explode with population. ( you know of the proposed new hall ranch development, right? 26k homes off the 126).
they build it and they will come…
most people (families) come out here for obvious reasons, but there is another reason: cheaper homes or really less expensive homes as compared to all points closer to where most people work. we all know that the closer a home is to a popular work area ( holllywood, santa monica, etc) the more expensive it is. well, you can’t live out here and then complain that it might cost a little bit more money to get to your office.
and it’s not just a money thing.
for example, take the I 5 from the 14 to the truck weight station. how they hell did they not install truck lanes all the way down the hill, across our valley and to the station? they knew there was a massive development going on – a truck lane could have been engineered and built twenty years ago. now we have one of the most dangerous parts of the freeway. there is at least one bad wreck a week on this strip of the freeway that involves a truck and easily a couple of deaths a month. it’s insane really.
the whole freeway system should be a toll way. it should be more expensive on weekends and off hours, less on commuter times-as to not penalize workers, but to diminish those, i have nothing better to do so i will just get in my car and drive somewhere, people. the freeway system and really our infrastructure does not currently support the population here or in LA. like it or hate, some form of pay as you go, toll or other is coming. it has to. we must change our work habits, and rethink the rush hour commute mentality. adding a lane or two is just a temporary bandaid.
Wow, ToddC, your two cent logic is backward, not modern. Tolling may be coming, whether we like it or not, but it is quite indicative of our government not paying as THEY go. The public-private partnerships, a form of borrowing, have become a creative way for transportation projects to get done but they DO NOT WORK. Toll freeway projects in Orange and San Diego Counties are among many that have failed and the taxpayers have had to pick up the tab for these bad projects. Not just the users, but everyone. Responsible commuters should choose a job close to home but barring that, they should make the least impact that they can. Your concept about charging higher tolls on weekends is ridiculous. You might want to learn more and just say no to tolls. http://www.rooflines.org/3173/6_reasons_to_be_wary_of_public-private_partnerships/
jesus. seek out what other cities across the country are doing to relieve congestion, including the pilot program on the 110 inLA. toll roads work. you are more upset, thus base your argument more with the aspects of government waste, corruption, taxes and such with regards to toll roads, which that stance will do nothing to ease congestion. and who’s two cent logic is backwards? really? you write: Responsible commuters should choose a job close to home but barring that, they should make the least impact that they can. — WTF? how many 100k – 150k Plus jobs are available out here in santa clarita? how much do you think one or a couple need to make to afford a 600k house out here? people will need to commute. and commuting will become a much harder experience in the years ahead. wait until your auto insurance company starts verifying your true miles you drive. are you aware of that? insurance companies will soon be requesting visual proof of miles and charging you more for the miles you drive. currently, they just ask you for that number – and everyone fibs. lastly, you do know that the state of california want to tax all drivers per mile, right? of course that sounds so extreme and impossible. well it doesn’t sound so impossible when insurance companies will soon be verifying actual miles driven to write policies.
I don’t understand this vitriol. If you’re a solo driver now, you can’t use it. It gives you a choice. If you don’t want to pay, don’t pay. I love the 110 toll lanes. I can pay a little money to get there much faster. It’s kind of like saying “why should I pay to maintain my house since I already paid for it.”
Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, Inc. has announced the receipt of a $50,000 Community Health Improvement Grant from Dignity Health - Northridge Hospital to fund expanded mental health services for youth in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Time is running out to pre-register for the annual city of Santa Clarita Neighborhood Cleanup in celebration of Earth Day, scheduled for Saturday, April 19.
The LA County Arts Internship Program will invest over $1.6 million to fund 228 university and community college internships, providing students with paid on-the-job experience in the arts and creative sector at over 170 nonprofit organizations starting this summer. Applications for interested students are open now.
SCV Water received three prestigious awards from the California Association of Public Information Officials at an awards luncheon on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
When Abraham Martinez-Peña enrolled at California State University, Northridge as a film major, he knew the path he set out for himself — to be a professional comedy writer for film and television — would not be an easy one. Hollywood’s hiring reputation was more “who you know,” than “what you can do.”
After a nine-month process pursuant to requirements set forth in California’s Proposition 218, the SCV Water Board of Directors concluded its rate study and voted to implement proposed rate changes following a public hearing on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Members of the public and the campus community at California State University, Northridge will get a chance to test-drive the latest in electric vehicles on Wednesday, April 9, at CSUN’s Institute for Sustainability’s fourth annual EV Car Show.
Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, Inc. has announced the receipt of a $50,000 Community Health Improvement Grant from Dignity Health - Northridge Hospital to fund expanded mental health services for youth in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Time is running out to pre-register for the annual city of Santa Clarita Neighborhood Cleanup in celebration of Earth Day, scheduled for Saturday, April 19.
The Saugus Union School District Asset Management Committee will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, April 2, 6:30 p.m. at the Saugus Union School District Office.
The Master's University baseball team split a doubleheader with the OUAZ Spirit Saturday, March 29 dropping the first game 13-4 but winning the second 1-0.
The Master's University men's volleyball team served up nine aces in a three-set win over the OUAZ Spirit Friday night, March 28 in Surprise, Ariz. 25-14, 25-15, 25-21.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital president and chief executive officer Kevin Klockenga has joined the board of directors of the Hospital Association of Southern California.
College of the Canyons women's tennis concluded its regular season schedule with a 9-0 sweep of Glendale College on Friday, March 28 to claim victory for the third time across the last five matches.
The College of the Canyons track teams combined to win three events while achieving several top marks during the annual Arnie Robinson Invitational hosted by San Diego Mesa College on March 28.
Howdy, Santa Clarita! It’s time to dust off those boots and round up the family because the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is riding back into William S. Hart Park April 12-13, for two full days of western fun you won’t want to miss!
The California state Senate Public Safety Committee has rejected Kayleigh’s Law (SB 421), a law proposed by Senator Suzette Valladares (R - Santa Clarita) that would implement protections for victims of violent crimes.
On March 28 the College of the Canyons swim and dive team competed in its second Western State Conference meet in as many weeks, this time finishing fourth in the field of five schools.
As World Autism Month kicks off in April, Yes I Can Unity Through Music & Education (YIC), a nonprofit organization that provides career skills training and employment services to adults with disabilities, is calling on businesses to recognize the immense value of neurodiverse talent.
Santa Clarita Valley Water is taking water-saving innovation to new heights with the release of its latest videos, featuring Carl, the water-wise hero, controlling sprinklers from space.
The city of Santa Clarita Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission will meet 6 p.m. Thursday, April 3 at Council Chambers at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
The Santa Clarita Artists Association has issued a call to artists for "Things with Wings," Art show which will open April 25 and runs through May 25 at the SCAA 6th Street Gallery, 22508 6th Street, Newhall, CA 91321.
From our fun and friendly staff that run our Recreation and Community Services programs, to our Building and Safety team that make sure all developments are up to code, to our Communications team who bring all the trending, informational videos to social media, our staff is hard at work ensuring that the city of Santa Clarita continues to be a great place to live, work and play.
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6 Comments
SUCH CRAP!! Why should anyone have to pay to use roads we ALREADY pay for. Only the rich SOB’s will do that leaving us poor and middle class folks to sit in Sh*t traffic watching the BMWs and Mercedes supposedly fly by at a supposed “guarantee of 45mph”. Good f&%$ing luck with that. This is just government trying to cover for their very poor budget planning and spending. Besides they have to pay for their ridiculously night salaries (for the lack of actual work they do) some how.
I’m sorry for the rant but this ticks me off. Why can’t they take the money we pay already and just add a lane. Carpool lanes prove over and over that they don’t do anything for air quality.
PS. I take the train which I pay a small fortune for the privilege to do.
nice rant but might be pointless to fight this. toll lanes are proving to work in areas they are being tested or used across the country.
our society needs to fundamentally change, meaning, we need to change the way we commute. for example, more companies need to offer telecommuting options. schools need to change their hours of classes, especially during the morning hours. trucks need to reschedule their hours of operation. what i am getting at is the rush hour commute time needs to change. one of the issues we have is we are stuck in a 9 to 5, old world mentality of our parents’ generation. the freeway system was not designed (another issues) to handle the current traffic flow, especially at key times of the day.
this article and the comments of our local leaders tells me they don’t get it. santa carita is a commuter city. yet, what has santa clarita really done – more importantly – doing to ease, asset and plan for commuting into and out of SFV and point beyond? offer busses? lobbied for the metro link? not enough. valencia is a master planned community that started in the late 70s or so, back then they knew full well that someday down the road this area would explode with population. ( you know of the proposed new hall ranch development, right? 26k homes off the 126).
they build it and they will come…
most people (families) come out here for obvious reasons, but there is another reason: cheaper homes or really less expensive homes as compared to all points closer to where most people work. we all know that the closer a home is to a popular work area ( holllywood, santa monica, etc) the more expensive it is. well, you can’t live out here and then complain that it might cost a little bit more money to get to your office.
and it’s not just a money thing.
for example, take the I 5 from the 14 to the truck weight station. how they hell did they not install truck lanes all the way down the hill, across our valley and to the station? they knew there was a massive development going on – a truck lane could have been engineered and built twenty years ago. now we have one of the most dangerous parts of the freeway. there is at least one bad wreck a week on this strip of the freeway that involves a truck and easily a couple of deaths a month. it’s insane really.
the whole freeway system should be a toll way. it should be more expensive on weekends and off hours, less on commuter times-as to not penalize workers, but to diminish those, i have nothing better to do so i will just get in my car and drive somewhere, people. the freeway system and really our infrastructure does not currently support the population here or in LA. like it or hate, some form of pay as you go, toll or other is coming. it has to. we must change our work habits, and rethink the rush hour commute mentality. adding a lane or two is just a temporary bandaid.
my two cents.
Wow, ToddC, your two cent logic is backward, not modern. Tolling may be coming, whether we like it or not, but it is quite indicative of our government not paying as THEY go. The public-private partnerships, a form of borrowing, have become a creative way for transportation projects to get done but they DO NOT WORK. Toll freeway projects in Orange and San Diego Counties are among many that have failed and the taxpayers have had to pick up the tab for these bad projects. Not just the users, but everyone. Responsible commuters should choose a job close to home but barring that, they should make the least impact that they can. Your concept about charging higher tolls on weekends is ridiculous. You might want to learn more and just say no to tolls. http://www.rooflines.org/3173/6_reasons_to_be_wary_of_public-private_partnerships/
Here’s more info about the failed projects. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/40/4074.asp
jesus. seek out what other cities across the country are doing to relieve congestion, including the pilot program on the 110 inLA. toll roads work. you are more upset, thus base your argument more with the aspects of government waste, corruption, taxes and such with regards to toll roads, which that stance will do nothing to ease congestion. and who’s two cent logic is backwards? really? you write: Responsible commuters should choose a job close to home but barring that, they should make the least impact that they can. — WTF? how many 100k – 150k Plus jobs are available out here in santa clarita? how much do you think one or a couple need to make to afford a 600k house out here? people will need to commute. and commuting will become a much harder experience in the years ahead. wait until your auto insurance company starts verifying your true miles you drive. are you aware of that? insurance companies will soon be requesting visual proof of miles and charging you more for the miles you drive. currently, they just ask you for that number – and everyone fibs. lastly, you do know that the state of california want to tax all drivers per mile, right? of course that sounds so extreme and impossible. well it doesn’t sound so impossible when insurance companies will soon be verifying actual miles driven to write policies.
I don’t understand this vitriol. If you’re a solo driver now, you can’t use it. It gives you a choice. If you don’t want to pay, don’t pay. I love the 110 toll lanes. I can pay a little money to get there much faster. It’s kind of like saying “why should I pay to maintain my house since I already paid for it.”