New loop opens at Kanan interchange
Freeway work picks up speed
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Work is progressing at a steady clip on the on- and off-ramps to the southbound 101 Freeway, Agoura Hills officials have said. Recently opened to traffic was the northbound loop of the new Kanan Road interchange system.

A barricade was erected on northbound Kanan Road to alert drivers that freeway access heading north is now on the right side of the street.

"When we stripe all the final markings, the barricades will be gone," said Nathan Hamburger, assistant to the city manager in Agoura Hills.

Hamburger said work on the interchange will continue on the south side of Kanan Road, with the new freeway off-ramp scheduled to be completed before the southbound on-ramp loop.

When the $23-million interchange improvement is finished, no left turns onto the freeway will be allowed in either direction.

Northbound and southbound on-ramps will be accessed via right turns only.

The interchange construction is the largest public works project ever undertaken by the city of Agoura Hills.

According to Hamburger, the biggest hurdle has been trying to coordinate the work with 10 utility companies, from water, gas and electric companies to telephone and cellular corporations.

But delays have been few and the project remains on budget, he said. The interchange is expected to be completed by early spring.