County may build temporary emergency bridge in Malibou Lake





By Michael Picarella
pic@theacorn.com

Los Angeles County might build a temporary bridge for emergency access use only in the Malibou Lake area.


Some local residents were upset after recently learning that they must wait a year before the now-condemned Lake Vista Bridge can reopen.


The Lake Vista Bridge, located on Lake Vista Drive just south of Mulholland Highway in the Malibou Lake area, is one of only two exit routes. The region is considered a Zone 4 fire hazard area, the most dangerous.


"Some of the people here have started a letter-writing campaign to all our elected officials because we just feel that this is completely outrageous that they’re closing the bridge for so long," said Malibou Lake resident Mary Altmann. "This is a safety issue for us."


In April, the county condemned the bridge.


About four years ago, L.A. County officials told Malibou Lake residents that the structure would be repaired, according to Altmann. But the county kept delaying the project, and each year, the bridge’s condition grew worse. The bridge is now condemned—too dangerous to use.


The Malibou Lake community of the Santa Monica Mountains (between Agoura and Malibu), consists of about 400 homes. Many residents are worried that if there’s a fire or other emergency, they’ll have only one exit route.


In the 1980s, according to Altmann, a fire burned near Malibou Lake and forced closure of a secondary access that’s now the only way to evacuate. If it were closed, residents would be trapped.


The new Lake Vista Bridge is expected to take about three or four months to be rebuilt after construction begins. The county expects it to cost about $700,000.


"We looked into some funding and we found that we were able to qualify for federal funding, which is a highway and bridge replacement and rehabilitation program," said Rene Bobadilla of L.A. County Public Works. "The federal government would reimburse us 80 percent of the total project cost."


But now that the federal government is involved, the process will take longer.


"The problem with the process—when you work with the federal government—you work through Caltrans, and there’s a long process you have to go through," Bobadilla said. The project couldn’t begin until next July.


Altmann thinks it could begin quicker than that.


"(The county) could give the bridge an emergency designation, which would move the project along twice as fast," Altmann said. "But they won’t do it."


Bobadilla said the county council reviewed the matter and determined that it didn’t qualify for emergency status.


The law, Bobadilla said, is specific about emergencies.


"It’s got to be a grave emergency situation, such as a bridge is going to fall on a house or a storm came through down the river and took the bridge out, and no one can get out. In this case, there is another means of access. We have many locations in the county where folks only have one means of access."


The Lake Vista Bridge project could begin sooner, according to Bobadilla, but he doesn’t want to make promises that he can’t keep.


"Our schedule right now reflects worst-case scenarios," Bobadilla said. It’s possible, he said, that the project could begin a bit earlier if the federal funding process moves expeditiously.


The county hasn’t decided yet to build a temporary emergency access bridge for Malibou Lake residents. Officials were to make a choice about such action last week, according to Bobadilla, but didn’t.



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