Construction crews broke ground this week on street and sidewalk improvements planned for several unincorporated areas of Ventura County, including Oak Park.

Starting last Monday, the county began the replacement of cracked and uneven sidewalks, curbs and gutters in the Casa Conejo area south of Newbury Park..

The county also plans to repave several residential streets in Casa Conejo including Kitty Drive, Debbie Street, Martha Drive, Lisa Court, Randy Drive, Henry Drive from Jenny Drive to Gerald Drive, and Shirley Drive from Debbie Street to the county line.

Although none of the streets will be closed during construction, the public should be cautious while travelling in the area, said Kurt Thinnes, senior inspector for Ventura County.

“There will be substantial inconvenience to the public, because you have . . . with the prep work, even with the concrete, you have big equipment on narrow roads,” Thinnes said.

It’s been about 20 years since the county has given this much attention to the area, he said.

“It’s due for an overlay.”

Unincorporated county improvements will continue in Oak Park.

Thinnes said construction work will shorten the median on Deerhill Road, from Kanan Road to Deerbrook Road. The work will begin after Thanksgiving Day and take about a week to complete.

The work, which will include sidewalk repair and road repaving, is necessary to improve fire truck access to the fire station, Thinnes said.

—Michelle Knight