DEADLY HIGHWAY SPARKS CONCERN : COUNTY OFFICIAL SAYS DIVIDER, WIDENING COULD CUT FATALITIES.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

Locals in the small towns that dot scenic Highway 126 have long dubbed the stretch of country road ``Blood Alley.''

Indeed, seven people - including 8- and 11-year-old sisters - have died this month alone in three head-on accidents on the scenic state route that parallels the Santa Clara River and links Santa Clarita to Ventura.

Fillmore Mayor Roger Campbell sees two problems with the road - there is no center barrier separating high-speed traffic, and construction to widen narrow sections to four lanes has taken far too long, he said.

``The roadway has killed an awful lot of people. It's a combination of the roadway and stupid drivers,'' Campbell said, noting that nearly 30 people have died in head-on collisions on the highway from 1989 to 1994.

Campbell, a member of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, said he will call for an audit of collisions and fatalities on the 35-mile stretch of Highway 126 when the commission meets Jan. 10.

Logic says that a center divider would save lives, Campbell said, but state transportation officials have argued that dividers could actually increase the hazard if motorists who hit them bounce back into traffic lanes.

Compounding the problem is the string of concrete barriers separating traffic lanes from the construction zones for the road widening project. Those barriers are to the right of traffic and actually narrow the lanes.

``With the road narrowing down, there's a tunnel effect,'' Campbell said. ``I think people are real nervous when they're driving through that area.''

Campbell said the lack of a center divider and the presence of the construction barrier along the right shoulder might have contributed to a Monday collision on a two-lane stretch about a mile east of Piru. A man lost control of his car, swerved into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with another vehicle, killing himself and the father of the woman driving the other vehicle.

``She had nowhere to go,'' he said. ``We certainly want the construction done. However, they have to do it in an acceptable way.''

Campbell wants to know why the state Department of Transportation has not finished widening the highway after a decade of work.

``I want to know why the highway is not on an accelerated schedule,'' said Campbell, noting that Los Angeles County rebuilt its earthquake-shattered freeways within months of the Jan. 17, 1994, Northridge Earthquake.

Caltrans officials did not return calls seeking comment.

Campbell and Ventura County Supervisor-elect Kathy Long, who represents the Santa Clara River Valley, said they recognize that human error is involved in many of the crashes.

For example, the Thursday crash that killed young Katie and Andrea Tello was caused by a driver who swerved into oncoming traffic, possibly after falling asleep at the wheel, California Highway Patrol investigators said.

But even so, Long and Campbell said they want to know if the problem is the high-speed, curvy highway itself.

``I intend to sit down with CHP and Caltrans representatives because of the history,'' Long said. Construction schedules should be studied and speed along the road evaluated. ``We'll look at the physical barriers we could put up to help,'' she said.

Caltrans officials contend that a median barrier is not necessarily a solution. In fact, it could pose more problems, should cars hit the median and careen back into traffic, said Rick Holland, a Caltrans spokesman.

Another issue that has been raised is that median barriers would have too few openings, creating an inconvenience for the frequent ranches and fruit stands that line rural sections of road.

Also, speed is increasingly becoming a problem on the highway, officials said. Many accidents could be avoided if people slowed down, Holland said.

This year, there have been 256 crashes and collisions along the highway, marking 37 more than last year, according to California Highway Patrol records. Ten people died in the crashes and collisions this year, compared to seven last year.

Officials are hopeful that the number of crashes and collisions will be reduced once the highway is widened to four lanes.

Meanwhile, Caltrans has asked the CHP to step up its enforcement of speed limits, often reduced to 45 mph in construction zones along the highway.

Two widening projects are under way on the Ventura County side. They include a five-mile stretch east of Fillmore to Powell Road. Work began in March and is scheduled to be completed by June 1998.

The second project is also about five miles long and extends from Piru east to the Los Angeles County line. This project began in October 1995 and is scheduled for completion in December 1997.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Map

Photo: (ran in SAC and SIMI editions only--color in SAC only) Workers install barriers along a section of Highway 126 where the road is being widened. Construction work has been going on for a decade.

David R. Crane/Daily News

Map: (ran in SIMI and CONEJO editions only) HIGHWAY 126 FATALITIES