A Measure R Equity Grant funded project designed to reduce bottlenecks and improve traffic flow on a stretch of Antelope Valley 14 Freeway/State Route (SR) 138 in Palmdale was completed in early Feb. 2020.
The project, which broke ground in October 2018 , added an acceleration lane on south bound SR 14 from Technology Drive to north of Palmdale Blvd. to eliminate bottlenecks, and widened the north bound Rancho Vista Blvd. off-ramp to increase storage and eliminate bottlenecks for both left-turn and right-turn traffic.
It is the first of eleven planned Measure R Equity Grant funds projects along the Highway 138/14 corridor, five of which are in Palmdale. In 2011, the North County Transportation Coalition (NCTC) was allocated a total of $200 million dollars through Measure R to help design and construct un-built segments SR 138 within Los Angeles County.
“The traffic improvements alone will benefit commuters and truckers who use the routes daily by reducing travel time, congestion, and pollution,” said Palmdale Mayor Steve Hofbauer. “It was also an economic boost, bringing over 100 good paying jobs to our region. The staff and contractors worked diligently to finish the first Measure R project in the region under budget which is amazing.”
“I’m very proud to see how all these different agencies --- the Cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, North County Transportation Commission, LA County, LA Metro, CalTrans---and companies in the private sector like CA Rasmussen and Psomas--- combined forces to make real improvements for our community,” said Palmdale City Manager J.J. Murphy. “Great things really do happen when people and agencies work together for the common good.”
The project budget was $25 million, with construction and design costs at $15.2 million. Savings from this project will be re-allocated to the other Measure R projects. The project was managed by the City of Palmdale and Psomas. It was fully designed by Caltrans, and constructed by CA Rasmussen, Inc. of Santa Clarita.
The next phase of work will improve the capacities of both the north and southbound off ramps of the 14 freeway at Palmdale Blvd.
For more information, please call the Department of Public Works at 661/267-5300.
Video link: https://youtu.be/XCvKhn7YiCw