New Reyes bridge worth the wait

Agoura six-lane overpass opens to traffic



FIRST RIDE—Above, Agoura Hills Mayor Harry Schwarz leads a procession across the new Reyes Adobe overpass last weekend. Left, pedestrians under decorative lights. Below, the bridge is declared open.

FIRST RIDE—Above, Agoura Hills Mayor Harry Schwarz leads a procession across the new Reyes Adobe overpass last weekend. Left, pedestrians under decorative lights. Below, the bridge is declared open.

Agoura Hills officials and other dignitaries dedicated the longawaited Reyes Adobe bridge in a ceremony held June 4 on the clean pavement atop the new overpass.

Mayor Harry Schwarz called the completion of the $8.4-million freeway bridge a “momentous time in the history of Agoura Hills,” adding that the city first started talking about the project more than a decade ago. It was in the planning stages for two years and took nearly another two years to complete.

“Waiting this long has been well worth it. It’s a beautiful bridge and you won’t see it anywhere else,” said Barry Steinhardt, director for the Agoura Hills portion of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.

Schwarz thanked local business owners for tolerating months of construction inconveniences.

“Business owners put up with a lot,” the mayor said. “They’ve been very patient.”

The Reyes Adobe Road interchange was built in 1965 and reconfigured in 1974 when the 101 Freeway was widened from a four-lane highway to an eight-lane freeway.

The recent work expanded the bridge from three lanes to six lanes. A sidewalk was added on the west side, and decorative fencing and lighting were placed along both sides. The area was spruced up with new landscaping and new medians, and a natural bioswale was constructed to treat storm water runoff.

Construction on the project started in October 2009.

Kelly Fisher, the city’s project manager, said the cost of the bridge and other improvements was covered by federal and county grants along with local traffic improvement and redevelopment funds.

“We were fortunate at the time of bidding that construction costs were coming in low,” Fisher said. “As a result, we will not have to use any (city) general funds for this project.”

Representatives from Congressman Henry Waxman’s office sent a proclamation commemorating the completion of the bridge. Schwarz credited Waxman for securing the federal portion of the funds.

Senator Barbara Boxer also sent a message congratulating the city.

Other officials attending the event included members of the Agoura Hills, Calabasas and Westlake Village city councils and trustees from the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

Calabasas Mayor James Bozajian called Agoura’s new interchange a “tremendous improvement.”

Next on the public works agenda for Agoura Hills is a the U.S. 101/Palo Comado (Chesebro) Interchange improvement project, Fisher said.

“In addition, we are wrapping up the design for the Agoura Road widening project. The metal guardrails at the Kanan Road Interchange will be upgraded, and a left-turn lane north of Canwood Street and the Kanan Road Interchange will be added. All city-owned signal bulbs will be switched out to LED lighting. The annual street resurfacing and concrete repairs are also planned for the summer.

“We’ve said it before, but we just want to thank everyone again for their understanding and patience during construction,” Fisher said.


 

 

 

 

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