ANNEXATION WEIGHED MOVE WOULD BOOST PALMDALE CONTROL OVER TRANSIT CORRIDORS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

PALMDALE - City officials are looking at annexing 126 acres just north of downtown, a move that would give the city more control over alignment of traffic corridors.

The area includes Sierra Highway's crossing over Metrolink and Union Pacific railroad tracks, for which city officials want to build an overpass, and a proposed freeway along Avenue P-8.

``It gives us more control over the Sierra Highway alignment,'' said Mayor Jim Ledford. ``It's an area we would like to have more control over.''

The proposed annexation area lies between avenues P-8 and Q and from the railroad tracks east to 10th Street East. About half of the area is vacant land. The rest includes about 200 rental units on the north side of Avenue Q, the Palmdale School District office, two churches, two storage facilities, an equipment rental yard, and several industrial business.

The area now is under Los Angeles County's jurisdiction.

There are two major traffic projects that will likely affect Sierra Highway's alignment, city officials say.

The first, a long-term effort that is at least 15 years down the line, is the construction of the Avenue P-8 bypass, an east-west freeway being planned by Caltrans and Antelope Valley officials.

How Sierra Highway will connect with the freeway is among the issues planners will have to address. The city is looking at one concept in which a straighter, more true north-south alignment for the highway would connect with the proposed freeway east of the existing alignment.

The second project, a more near-term effort, is a $9.2 million proposed overpass to carry Sierra Highway over the Union Pacific railroad tracks. City planners are working with Los Angeles County to come up with an alignment that will ease the bend in the highway and still leave options open for the future alignment to the P-8 freeway.

One possibility is to have the highway cross the railroad south of the existing crossing. Actually, how far south the crossing would occur has not been determined.

The overpass project ranks high in priority for a $5 million grant under a Public Utilities Commission rail crossing safety program. The city and county plan to file a joint application to the state to try to secure the remaining fundings.

The City Council will consider the annexation at its meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers, 708 E. Palmdale Blvd.

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Map: Site of Palmdale Annexation