A Los Angeles County official called Tuesday for emergency planning to deal with major traffic jams on the Golden State (5) Freeway in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the Interstate 5 corridor was a mess over the Thanksgiving weekend and pointed to ongoing construction as part of the problem.
“This weekend saw the highest number of holiday travelers in the metropolitan Los Angeles area in the past fifteen years, which proved to be nearly impossible to navigate through the I-5 corridor in the Santa Clarita Valley,” Barger said.
Anticipating more backups of commuters and commerce as winter weather creates closures north of Castaic, Barger urged county planners to look at ways to fix what has become a local traffic chokepoint and develop emergency plans for local residents who end up trapped for hours on end.
When the freeway closes, Castaic residents can only get in and out of town via the adjacent Old Road, which becomes a two-lane road north of Hasley Canyon.
Barger previewed a motion — to be considered by the Board of Supervisors next week — that recommends the Public Works and Regional Planning departments work with Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and sheriff’s and fire personnel to develop plans for future shut downs related to accidents, weather or construction.