IMPROVING I-5, 14 TRAFFIC MTA TO OFFER SOLUTIONS TO CONGESTION.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Adding lanes to Interstate 5 and the Antelope Valley Freeway and increasing bus and train service are among alternatives for keeping north Los Angeles County's traffic flowing.

As part of a study of the region's transportation needs, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will make presentations in Palmdale on Nov. 19 and in Valencia on Nov. 20 on a whittled-down list of transportation alternatives.

MTA officials said the alternatives involving additional lanes and improved transit would improve traffic capacity, were financially affordable and were achievable from an environmental standpoint.

Ideas such as tunneling through the San Gabriel Mountains to connect to Highway 2 and building a double-decked Antelope Valley Freeway were rejected.

``If it was environmentally infeasible, we threw it out; if it was technically infeasible, we threw it out,'' said Brian Lin, MTA's project manager for the study. ``We came up with two 'no-build' alternatives and three 'build' alternatives. These are a set of strategies we can play with.''

The ``build'' alternatives require investments in construction, to address traffic flow.

The first of the ``build'' alternatives calls for building one new car pool lane along I-5 between the Antelope Valley Freeway and Highway 126, and adding a new truck lane from the 14 to Calgrove Avenue.

Along the 14, the freeway would be widened to give it a uniform three general-purpose lanes plus a car pool lane in each direction from Sand Canyon Road to Avenue P. Besides widening the freeway, the alternative also would ultimately add four express bus runs and two Metrolink trains to the southbound morning commute.

The second of the ``build'' alternatives has the same road improvements in the first alternatives, but would add four southbound bus runs and four trains during the morning commute.

The third alternative incorporates the improvements of the second alternative and adds more. Along I-5, one new general purpose lane would be added from the 14 to the Kern County line; one new car pool lane would be added from the 14 to 126; and the truck lane would be extended north to 126.

Along the 14, one general purpose lane would be added from Sand Canyon Road to Avenue D, one car pool lane would be added from the I-5 to Avenue L, and a truck lane added from I-5 to Sand Canyon Road.

The first no-build alternative would not add any highway or transit improvements. The second no-build alternative would not add any highway improvements, but would include more bus and train service.

After public review and further study, a preferred alternative will be presented to the public and to a host of organizations, including the North County Transportation Coalition for approval.

The North County Transportation Coalition is a committee comprised of representatives from Los Angeles County and the cities of Palmdale, Lancaster and Santa Clarita. The body is intended to help steer transportation policies for the region.

The study, called the North County Combined Highway Corridor Study, is being conducted in two phases: a $2.6 million first phase that includes looking at the Antelope Valley Freeway and Interstate 5 and a $1.8 million second phase focusing on Highway 138.

The Highway 138 portion of the study started a few months after the first phase, to allow the state Department of Transportation to complete an environmental impact report on plans to widen the eastern portion of the highway - between Littlerock and Interstate 15 - to four lanes. Data in the EIR, which has been completed, will be used for the major investment study.

``What started this was the North County Transportation Coalition wanted to know what it takes to get three mixed flow lanes in each direction (on the 14),'' said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford. ``What's need is a MIS (major investment study) so that we are in position to move forward when money becomes available.''

While the study is a step in the right direction, Ledford fears that there will still be points of extreme congestion in the future, including the 14/I-5 interchange.

The predicted congestion for that interchange will add another argument for the region to use in trying to convince state authorities to include the Antelope Valley in any plans for a proposed statewide high-speed rail system. The state is looking at two possible alignments for that system between Bakersfield and the San Fernando Valley - one through the Antelope Valley and another along Interstate 5 over the Grapevine Pass.

``High-speed rail can play a role in reducing that congestion,'' Ledford said.

Seeing a consensus forming on the need for additional lanes on the 14 and I-5, the MTA is trying to hurry up those projects to qualify them for funding consideration in early 2003.

MTA has determined there is immediate short-term need for expanding the 14 to three mixed-use lanes and one car-pool lane in each direction between Sand Canyon Road and Avenue P.

The study also has identified an immediate need for adding one mixed-use lane and one car-pool lane in each direction on Interstate 5 through Santa Clarita, between the Antelope Valley Freeway interchange and Highway 126.

MTA plans to present those two projects for consideration in early 2003.

The MTA's north county corridor study meeting in Palmdale will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 19 in the Larry Chimbole Cultural Center, 38350 Sierra Highway.

The Valencia meeting will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 20 in the community room of the Valencia Town Center, 24201 West Valencia Road.

IF YOU GO:

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will hold study meetings next week in Palmdale and Santa Clarita on its North County Combined Highway Corridor Study.

--PALMDALE: 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 19 in the Larry Chimbole Cultural Center, 38350 Sierra Highway.

--SANTA CLARITA: 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 20 in the community room of the Valencia Town Center, 24201 W. Valencia Blvd.

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IF YOU GO (see text)