City driven to complete interchange on time

Phase I of the Kanan Road/101 Freeway interchange improvement approved on Jan. 25 is well underway and, according to Agoura Hills officials, the project is moving ahead smoothly. The new interchange is expected to be completed by February 2007.

At a recent city council meeting, staff members gave an update on the $25 million project now under construction at three sites.

The southwest section includes the access road from Roadside Drive, which was cleared for placement of curbs and gutters. A storm drain, two catch basins and a new waterline are being installed on the access road.

On the south side, Roadside Drive was also cleared for curbs and gutters, construction of the cul-de-sac is underway and retaining walls are nearly complete.

Preliminary grading on the new southbound freeway offramp is underway on the southeast section of the project.

The scope of the work has created many challenges, officials said. Lines from 12 separate utilities must be relocated and conflicts with the agencies have caused delays.

"We're still battling utility relocation," said Jim Thorsen, the former Agoura Hills assistant city manager and now city manager for Malibu.

The utility poles on the northeast corner of the project, adjacent to McDonald's restaurant and the Shell gas station, have been removed and the power lines relocated underground. Caltrans is reviewing the city's plan to extend the retaining wall by 200 feet, which is estimated to cost an additional $300,000.

Contaminated soil was found during construction of the storm drains on the new access road. Thorsen said it stemmed from a leaking diesel tank that was on an adjacent property. The soil was tested, removed and hauled to a hazardous disposal facility, he said.

"All in all, work is progressing quite rapidly," Thorsen said.

Councilmember Bill Koehler said he toured the site and was "quite satisfied with the progress so far." He thought the construction was actually a bit ahead of schedule.

"Progress is nothing short of remarkable," Councilmember John Edelston said. He was especially pleased to see the telephone poles removed.

As for the added costs, Thorsen said the budget allowed for an addition $1 million in construction costs, but he expects to come in far under that sum.

Councilmember Harry Schwarz said although there has been "grumbling" about traffic on Kanan Road during construction, there have been fewer traffic problems than expected.