Federal Funding Urged for I-5 Santa Clarita-Los Angeles Gateway Project

The process for developing a new federal transportation authorization bill is getting underway. The current bill is set to expire in September and House and Senate committees are working on a new multi-year bill. As part of that process, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing on April 28 to learn about the country’s transportation needs and considerations for the new bill.

At that hearing, Representative Howard “Buck” McKeon (R- Santa Clarita) testified in support of federal funding for a major improvement to I-5 north of Los Angeles. The I-5 Santa Clarita-Los Angeles Gateway Improvement Project is a key project of national significance given the importance of the I-5 corridor in terms of travel and goods movement along the West Coast. The project would extend existing HOV lanes from State Route (SR) 14 to Parker Road and provide a dedicated truck climbing lane from SR 14 to the Pico Canyon Road/Lyons Avenue interchange. The improvement will reduce congestion and facilitate goods movement through the area.

In addition to Representative McKeon, Caltrans, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Golden State Gateway Coalition, and numerous local jurisdictions and business organizations in the area support the project. The Auito Club strongly supports the project as well. More information on the project may be found on the Golden State Gateway Coalition’s website: http://www.goldenstategateway.org/