SCVNews.com | Opinion/Commentary: City’s Working to Improve Soledad Delays

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City’s Working to Improve Soledad Delays

Message from City Manager Ken Striplin

By Ken Striplin | Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016

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Residents driving along Soledad Canyon Road may have recently experienced an increase in traffic, specifically during rush-hour.

These type of delays can be frustrating and we apologize for any inconvenience our residents are facing. The City of Santa Clarita’s Traffic division has been monitoring the traffic patterns of this particular area and is working to improve the issue.

There are a number of factors that may account for the recent flux of traffic occurring along Soledad Canyon Road, specifically from Sand Canyon Road to Whites Canyon Road.

Since November of 2015, Vasquez Canyon Road has been closed due to a landslide that made the road unsafe for motorists. This road is located outside of city limits in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. The County is working diligently to get the road reopened. Unfortunately, while it is closed, motorists often use Whites Canyon Road, Soledad Canyon Road, and Sierra Highway as a detour. This diversion of traffic is temporarily creating increased congestion and delay along these roadways, particularly during peak commute times.

Another factor is the proximity of Soledad Canyon Road to the State Route 14 Freeway. As heavy traffic congests the freeway, motorists will again seek alternate routes and use our streets, adding to the existing traffic. This is occurring more often with the popularity of traffic apps like WAZE. Unfortunately, many of these fluctuations in traffic are unpredictable and change day-by-day, making it challenging to proactively manage the traffic flow.

However, this does not mean that measures cannot be taken to mitigate traffic concerns. Part of our efforts to improve traffic flow along our City’s major roadways include an ongoing program that minimizes delay and reduces congestion through the re-timing and re-synchronizing of traffic signals.

One such improvement was recently implemented at the intersection of Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway. The green signal phase during morning peak hours was increased for westbound traffic. The improvement will facilitate movement of traffic through the intersection and reduce traffic delay along Soledad Canyon Road.

The City is also planning on improving the intersection of Soledad Canyon Road and the State Route 14 southbound ramps by adding protected left-turn phasing for traffic entering the freeway from Soledad Canyon Road. We will also be extending the westbound left-turn lane by an additional 400 feet. These modifications should improve the flow at the intersection and further improve traffic conditions along Soledad Canyon Road.

Sitting in traffic is a frustrating and stressful experience, and for this reason we want to improve traffic flow so you can get from Point A to Point B safely and conveniently. I’d like to thank you for your patience as we work on these issues and assure you that the City makes it a high priority to improve the traffic on our streets.

Ken Striplin is city manager of the city of Santa Clarita. He can be reached at kstriplin@santa-clarita.com.

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19 Comments

Sean Chappell Hite says:

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at

That’s great. How about taking a look at the Golden Valley / Sierra Highway intersection next.

Reply
Marcello De Paoli says:

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at

Stop building houses

Reply
- Cruz Martinez says:
  
  Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at
  
  That’s what forced me out, excessive strip malls and houses
  
  Reply
Anna Sclafane says:

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at

I think they should improve more than just Soledad Canyon. Driving daily throughout SCV is a nightmare.

Reply
Caroline Trujillo says:

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at

It’s impossible to drive anywhere in Scv during rush hour, but I love how you guys are doing the road maintenance work at night

Reply
Sue Jacobs says:

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at

This is unbelievable 1 hr to get my son to school 5 miles away??? Another Almost 45 minutes to get to work in Newhall !! Help

Reply
Maria Mere says:

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at

Do something about traffic. It’s a nightmare in the mornings just to make it to the freeway. Help. Help.

Reply
Michael Jacobs says:

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at

On the canyon country side of town the roads are gridlocked during rush hour, especially in the morning. The 14 Freeway is stopped and commuters clog the streets of looking for alternate routes. Remember the State of California has given out over 397 thousand licenses to illegals who likely thrive in the affordable housing of the Antelope valley and comminute through our once peaceful, rural community. Time for a moratorium on new residential construction. The mountainous geography makes building roads extremely difficult, so I am not expecting much in that area.

Reply
- Michael Myers says:
  
  Thursday, Sep 15, 2016 at
  
  Love this White Privilege.
  This has not been a rural community for over 20 years.
  
  Reply
Mary Ellen Boos says:

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at

Soledad from Langside to Golden Triangle is a mess. Work on those traffic signals too.

Reply
Susana Palacios Morales says:

Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at

Claudia P Morales …

Reply
George Saldivar Jr. says:

Thursday, Sep 15, 2016 at

Build more houses!! That’ll fix the problem!

Reply
Todd Wimett says:

Thursday, Sep 15, 2016 at

School busses would help tremendously. Most families drive their children to and from school.

Reply
Michael Myers says:

Thursday, Sep 15, 2016 at

I’m with Todd.
School busses would solve most of this issue.
The difference between a school day and non-school day is huge.

Reply
C.R. says:

Thursday, Sep 15, 2016 at

This “re-timing and re-synchronizing of traffic signals” has been going on in the SCV for YEARS and it still isn’t done. Time for a more competent manager/crew?

Reply
D.j. Smetana says:

Thursday, Sep 15, 2016 at

Overbuilt this poor valley and no end in sight. Can’t wait for this new high school up Sloan cyn to be done. See the offramps plugged like magic Mtn on a weekend. Skinny little bridge at Parker Hope there are plans to widen it.

Reply
Nelson Hernandez says:

Thursday, Sep 15, 2016 at

None of this will matter with the amount of new housing coming in

Reply
Keith Dill says:

Thursday, Sep 15, 2016 at

Place is a joke! Over built and over priced! I lived in the scv since 1970. Worst road plans ever! And no plans to stop building house’s. I finally left… You can have that over priced ghetto!

Reply
Arod says:

Tuesday, Sep 20, 2016 at

Someone please explain this to me..this years heavy and ridiculous traffic at sierr and soledad is because of the lights?? I live by the moose lodge last year the drive from my house to canyon high was no more than 10 minutes. Today it took me over 30 mins.And has been so every day since school started in August. The turning signal helps but this is stupid crazy wanna pull mybhair out traffic that was not there last year or the year before

Reply

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