Bike lane project pedals forward
By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

CHUCK ROGERS/The Acorn INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN--Bicyclists are enjoying new bike lanes along Agoura Road between Chesebro and Liberty Canyon roads in Agoura Hills. Before, this busy road--regularly used by cyclists traveling from the west San Fernando Valley into Conejo Valley-Las Virgenes--was narrow, rough and lacked room for vehicles to pass safely. This group, however, was using vehicle lanes.

Hop on your bicycle and take a ride on Agoura Road in Agoura Hills; you’ll notice a big difference.

The city recently completed a $1 million construction project that added eight-foot bike lanes to both sides of the road from Kanan Road to Liberty Canyon Road.

Not only that, but old bumps and cracks have been smoothed over, making the attractive, tree-lined road a true delight. It dates back over a quarter of a century.

"Just drive by and see the difference of what it was a couple of months ago and what it is now," said Agoura Hills City Councilman Dan Kuperberg.

"It’s beautiful to look at and a whole bunch safer."

The stretch from Chesebro Road to Liberty Canyon, in particular, has a fresh new appearance but still retains its rural character, Kuperberg said.

Workers resurfaced the 2.5 miles of road using a rubberized asphalt compound that included about 14,000 recycled tires. The surface wears better and rides more quietly than conventional asphalt, according to Jim Thorsen, city engineer.

A federal grand paid for two-thirds of the project and a share of gasoline tax revenues from Los Angeles County funded the rest.

Excel Paving of Long Beach began the work last year. Another contractor, Ruiz Engineering, placed 12,000 tons of the rubberized asphalt onto 34 residential streets in a recently completed $1 million street overlay project in Agoura Hills.

The city will add two more miles of bike lanes on Agoura Road from Kanan Road to Westlake Village in phase two of the bicycle plan.

"We’ll be looking at that sometime in the future," Thorsen said.

In all, eight miles of new bike paths will be built between Calabasas and Agoura Hills, linking existing routes from Los Angeles County to Ventura County.

The line of travel generally parallels the 101 Freeway. Phase one of the Calabasas bike route already is complete between Old Town and Mureau Road, part of a four-mile overall project connecting the eastern and western parts of that city. Workers currently are painting stripes and installing signs to accommodate bikers from Mureau Road to Las Virgenes Road. The Calabasas share of the federal grant money amounts to $750,000. That city also received a local grant.

Thorsen said Agoura Hills might add even more bike lanes on the north side of the freeway, possibly in the Medea Creek area and on Canwood Street.

Calabasas is working on a new master trail map that could add almost 25 miles of new hiking, mountain biking and equestrian trails to the city. The mapping is currently underway.