CALTRANS PLANS `ROUNDABOUT' ON HIGHWAY 118.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Daily News Staff Writer

Turn lanes, stoplights and an innovative ``roundabout'' system commonly used in Europe are among the nearly $12 million in projects being proposed by Caltrans to improve safety and traffic flow along Highway 118.

California Department of Transportation officials outlined their priorities Wednesday during a meeting with the countywide Highway 118 Safety Task Force. The panel is trying to improve conditions along the 16-mile, two-lane stretch linking Moorpark and Saticoy, where an average of 140 crashes a year were reported between 1990 and 1997.

``These are the improvements that we believe would really improve safety and traffic operation of the 118 at those locations,'' said Gary Kevorkian, the Caltrans area manager for Ventura County.

The proposals include building a ``roundabout'' at the junction of highways 118 and 34 - allowing vehicles to merge more smoothly with through traffic - and the addition of turn lanes into Somis at an estimated cost of $4.7 million, officials said.

Caltrans also proposes straightening the S-turns on the 118, and realigning the nearby Mesa School Road and La Vista Avenue at an estimated cost of $7 million, Kevorkian said.

The proposed improvements pit residents who want the highway improved against a Somis-based group that fears the projects will only attract more traffic, exacerbating already-chronic traffic problems.

Caltrans is expected to seek public comments once the proposals are published in coming months.

The task force is co-chaired by county Supervisors Judy Mikels and Kathy Long. Wednesday's meeting was the third since the panel was set up last year as part of an $89,000 state grant administered by the California Highway Patrol to improve safety on the highway.