The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will host a Public Hearing to solicit comments on a proposed high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes project on the Golden State Freeway (I-5) between State Route 14 (SR-14) and Parker Road on March 28, 2013, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Santa Clarita City Hall (23920 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita, CA 91355).

The hearing will focus on the proposed project’s Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Reevaluation (SEIR/ER) to the previously approved Final Environmental Impact Report/Finding of No Significant Impact (EIR/FONSI). The document may be viewed online here: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/resources/envdocs

About the Proposed Project: Caltrans and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) are proposing to implement HOT lanes instead of the previously proposed high occupancy vehicle (HOV or carpool) lanes by widening I-5 between SR-14 and Parker Road, a distance of 13.5 miles. The HOT lanes would not change the project design components discussed in the Final EIR/FONSI.

Rather than waiting 30 years to finance the HOV lanes through the Santa Clarita area, the proposed project would be completed by 2019 by having vehicles with one (all hours) or two (peak hours only) occupants pay a toll to use the new lanes, which would be managed so that speeds do not fall below 45 miles per hour. The tolls would help raise the money needed to build the lanes immediately.

The lanes would also add capacity to I-5 through Santa Clarita, which is now the third-largest city in Los Angeles County and is expected to grow by an additional 10% by 2035. The HOT lanes are expected to ease congestion in all lanes and may result in some gas savings.

Submitting Comments: Comments on the proposed project may be submitted at the Public Hearing, emailed to carlos_montez@dot.ca.gov, or mailed to Carlos Montez, Senior Environmental Planner, California Department of Transportation, Division of Environmental Planning, 100 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Written comments on the Draft SEIR/ER must be submitted by April 15, 2013.