Calabasas anticipates receiving about $24 million in county sales taxes over the next five years to improve several major thoroughfares in the city, officials recently announced.

In July 2009, Los Angeles County adopted Measure R, a 30- year, half-cent surcharge on sales tax. The money will be used throughout the county to pay for road improvements that have been stalled due to lack of state and local funds.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority allocated about $175 million for projects in the western region of L.A. County. Calabasas worked with the Las Virgenes-Malibu Council of Governments to create guidelines and procedures for the projects.

Earlier this year, the Transportation Authority approved proposals to upgrade the Lost Hills and Parkway Calabasas interchanges and improve the Mulholland and Las Virgenes Road scenic corridors.

The road improvements will reduce traffic congestion and improve public safety, officials said.

The city will use $16.5 million in Measure R funds to design and construct the new Lost Hills interchange.

The two-lane freeway bridge was built in the mid-1960s and lacks the capacity to accommodate today’s traffic demands. The new bridge will be 3 feet higher and expanded to include five lanes and a pedestrian path, said Bob Woodward, deputy city engineer.

Onramps on the north side of the freeway will be moved and rebuilt into a partial cloverleaf interchange that will preserve Canwood Street and make room for sound walls to reduce noise for residents in the Saratoga community. A traffic light will be installed at Canwood and Lost Hills Road to make it easier for residents to get in and out of their neighborhood.

The Lost Hills interchange improvements will cost about $24.8 million to complete, City Manager Tony Coroalles said.

“A great deal of Measure R funding will go to the Lost Hills interchange, but we’re still looking for federal funding to complete this project,” Coroalles said.

Caltrans is slated to approve the interchange improvement plans this year; construction should start in 2012.

Saratoga resident Norm Buehring said the city should seek more public input before work begins.

“There hasn’t been any type of meetings and forums, so only Saratoga residents were involved so far,” he said.

Andrew Leff, president of Saratoga Homeowners Association, praised the city for its work, but said officials should seek a temporary solution to protect pedestrians until the new bridge is built.

“Because this is going to take over two years we can’t just sit back. Right now it’s a huge safety issue; kids aren’t safe because motorists heading north don’t stop to yield for pedestrians,” Leff said.

Plans for an improved Calabasas Road interchange will be ready early next year, with construction slated for 2011. The improvements will include traffic signal modifications at the intersection of Calabasas Road and the southbound 101 Freeway, with dual leftturn lanes, extension of the sidewalk and road widening between the Volvo dealership and the Mureau Road bridge.

The project includes bicycle and pedestrian access, two travel lanes in both directions and a twoway center turn lane.

A design for the Las Virgenes Road scenic corridor should be completed early next year. The project will improve traffic flow near the water district building and A.E. Wright Middle School. It also includes an additional lane in each direction along Las Virgenes Road between the 101 Freeway and Lost Hills Road to accommodate heavy regional traffic.

Plans for Mulholland Highway corridor are also under way, and construction should start in late 2013.

The plan includes bypass lanes along Mulholland Highway, wider intersections and the addition of dedicated left-turn lanes at some intersections between Old Topanga Canyon and Las Virgenes roads.

Mulholland Highway is an emergency alternate route for Calabasas and the project will ensure that the highway can handle increased traffic, officials said.