Mayor's Corner
Kanan interchange still needs adjustments
By Dan Kuperberg Mayor, Agoura Hills

Like everyone else in Agoura Hills, I also have some opinions and thoughts about the Kanan Interchange and would like to share them with you. Thank you to everyone for the way you have adjusted to the changes in traffic and driving patterns.

The project is not finished, and we are evaluating proper adjustments based on what our professionals are telling us and based on what you the drivers are telling us, while still needing approval from Caltrans.

I would also like to thank everyone for acknowledging the significant improvements that have been made. I think it's safe to say that the entire project is not without flaw, especially with regards to the southbound traffic flow at specific times throughout the day. This is why the city is committed to returning to Caltrans with alternatives to their original design- along with evidence that certain adjustments are necessary.

I think the several years of planning, designing and gathering funding sources for this immensely complex project were well worth it. The City Council and staff have been upfront and transparent about all aspects of the project, from not approving the work when we didn't have the funding to now, when we provide regular updates, post information on our website, direct staff to submit information to the media, and listen to the general public. In fact, there have been several comments received from the public that were integrated into the final project design.

From the outset, this project has always been about balancing limited resources with the need to improve a previous interchange that was severely deficient.

That's where we are now; the new interchange is not perfect, but we will continue working until we are completely satisfied.

The city is 100 percent committed to solving any lingering issues with the interchange, but only after a full professional analysis that examines the issues and appropriate solutions. Rather than running from the problems or ignoring them, we are working to resolve them.

When you're sitting frustrated in traffic it may seem like anyone could do a better job designing the interchange, but it is naive to think the solutions are that simple. It takes a professional traffic engineer to look at the interchange and the traffic flow objectively. Additionally, we must anticipate future growth outside our city's borders, especially in Oak Park and other immediately adjacent areas.

While we have no control on the amount of new development they allow, we still need to account for their vehicles coming into the interchange. In this case, it was necessary to plan for traffic that will exist almost 20 years in the future.

Although the improvements to the Kanan Interchange have not yet resolved all our traffic concerns, we are well on our way to success.

The city continues to work with Caltrans to resolve the remaining issues, and they are working with us to look for any feasible alternatives. There are several ideas that the city has presented, and we will continue to pursue them to insure that the traffic flow in the area is efficient.

Thank you all for your patience so far and for your continued patience while we keep working to further improve the interchange.