NEIGHBORHOOD AT CROSSROADS TRAFFIC EXPECTED WITH STREET CHANGES.Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Larry Mall stood on the front lawn of his 36-year-old home in this once-secluded subdivision, ambivalent about the changes to come as crews nearby complete the last block of Golden Valley Road, connecting the city core with the Antelope Valley Freeway The Antelope Valley Freeway is a freeway in Los Angeles and Kern counties in southern California. It is signed as California State Highway 14 along its length. It connects Greater Los Angeles to the rapidly developing Antelope Valley. just south of here. ``On one hand, it's going to be easier to visit with family,'' said Mall, 62, whose daughter lives in Saugus. ``(But) it's going to bring a lot of traffic.'' Mall is among the dozens of residents of a late 1960s housing tract on Green Mountain Drive, about a mile west of state Route 14's Golden Valley Road on-ramp. For decades, this stretch of Golden Valley Road stopped at the intersection near Mall's home, leaving the community in relative isolation. Drivers could detour around the roadblock by taking the freeway about a mile west to the Sierra Highway Sierra Highway is a road in Southern California, United States. It runs from Tunnel Station near the north limit of the City of Los Angeles, where it intersects with San Fernando Road and Foothill Boulevard, as well as Interstate 5, and continues north to Mojave, mostly paralleling exit, then double-back east. All that will end Wednesday when city officials clear that half-mile gap, allowing motorists smooth sailing from the freeway north to Soledad Canyon Soledad Canyon is a long narrow canyon / valley located in Los Angeles County, California between the cities of Palmdale and Santa Clarita. Soledad Canyon contains the localities of Vincent, Acton, Ravenna, and Agua Dulce. Road. ``It's the feeling you're in a quiet neighborhood, and you get a signal light instead of a stop sign,'' Mall said. ``I don't like it, but it has to be done. Anything they do that gets traffic flowing, it's a good thing. It's just the psychology of it.'' The road is part of the city's much-touted Cross Valley Connector, an 8.5-mile route between the Interstate 5/Route 126 interchange and the Antelope Valley Freeway near Golden Valley Road. With the gap clearing, some 4.5 miles will be completed. Proponents of the $245 million project say it will offer an alternate east-west link besides congested con·gest·ed adj. Affected with or characterized by congestion. congested ENT adjective Referring to a boggy blood-filled tissue. See Nasal congestion. Soledad Canyon Road. ``If you go on Soledad, it's just a parking lot,'' said Christine Green, 30, also a Green Mountain Drive resident. While some residents grudgingly grudg·ing adj. Reluctant; unwilling. grudg  ing·ly adv.Adv. 1. admit progress, others see the road opening as another nail in the coffin of their suburban dreams. ``The dream that was California is over,'' said Joe Trafecanty, 54, a Santa Clarita resident for 32 years. ``The reason we moved out here (from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. ) was to get away from it all. We're getting chased farther out farther out Of or relating to an option contract with a later expiration date than a contract that is currently owned or being considered. For example, a contract with a May expiration date is farther out than a contract with a February expiration date of .'' Even with new connections, Trafecanty believes the traffic and crowding will only worsen. He said he is considering a move to Arizona or New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). . ``What's really sad about this place is we don't go out on certain days,'' he said. ``(To go to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. ) I have to schedule between 11 (a.m.) and 1 (p.m.) to hit the best traffic pattern. When people invite us to something in Orange County, we don't even go. It's like going to another country. ``We just want to go to a place that's not as crowded.'' Mary Mahn, a Green Mountain Drive resident for 30 years, believes the cleared route will cut in half the 30-minute trips to the city center. ``If you're going to build it up - build it up,'' said Mahn, 58. But she said the city should consider a pedestrian bridge over the road so local schoolchildren schoolchildren school npl → écoliers mpl; (at secondary school) → collégiens mpl; lycéens mpl schoolchildren school can more safely cross Golden Valley Road, which has a 50 mph speed limit on some stretches. ``I just think it's dangerous,'' she said. Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com IF YOU GO The Golden Valley Road opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Sierra Highway intersection. CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Larry Mall, 62, has mixed feelings about the increased traffic he expects to see near his home of 36 years. (2 -- color) Six new lanes, part of the Golden Valley extension, will be connected to the 14 Freeway soon. (3 -- color) A crew does final work on the Golden Valley extension. ``On one hand, it's going to be easier to visit with family,'' said resident Larry Mall. ``(But) it's going to bring a lot of traffic.'' David Crane/Staff Photographer Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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