The California Department of Transportation is kicking off a major freeway repaving project spanning 14 miles of roadway from Lake Hughes Road in Castaic north to Vista Del Lago at Lake Pyramid.

The project entails covering I-5 Freeway lanes, shoulders and ramps with rubberized asphalt concrete in both directions. It will also replace traffic loop detectors, construct meet handicapped-accessible curb ramps, adjust inlets to grade, replace damaged slabs with rapid strength concrete and install two traffic cameras.

“Caltrans has hundreds of traffic cameras all over the freeway system,” said District 7 spokeswoman Kelly Markham. “They’re used to monitor traffic conditions, and are particularly helpful in the event of a major incident.”

The $23 million project – of which $11 million is  federally funded via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – got underway last month. It is targeted for completion next spring. The contractor is Security Paving Inc. of Sun Valley. Most construction work is being done at night to minimize impacts, leaving at least one lane open with nonconsecutive ramp closures.

A future $130 million project, approved two weeks ago by the California Transportation Commission, will rehabilitate the entire roadway from Vista Del Lago north to the Kern County line. That project will start when the current one is complete.