Following is a Q & A between Nathan Hamburger, Assistant City Manager of Agoura Hills, and a resident with questions about the Kanan Road Interchange Project. The information below may address the questions that we have received from residents and commuters.

I would like to share my thoughts on the Kanan Road Interchange. First, I would like to say that the work thus far has improved the ramps in the area, allowed safer access to the on ramps and begun to beautify the area. However, many of our friends and neighbors have asked us some of the following questions:

Q. Why are there not two lanes that go onto the northbound 101 ramp?

A. Although the City did look at adding a second lane onto the northbound 101 during the design phase, it was not approved due to the fact that there is a pedestrian crossing at this ramp entrance. If there were two lanes entering onto the freeway, a "blind spot" would be created for the second lane of traffic as they would not be able to see pedestrians crossing. The ultimate liability responsibility would have been Caltrans were they to approve this.

The project design was intended to improve all facets of the interchange and to address the constantly changing traffic flows from the morning rush hours to the evening drive home. There were some cases where the design was limited due to available land and/or established freeway standards but it was done in a manner that was comprehensive and utilized the best available traffic solutions.

Q. Why are there not two lanes that go into the southbound 101 loop ramp?

A. As in the northbound situation, the City did look to add an additional lane to the on ramp. This situation is different though because there is a signal at this entrance that can stop traffic when a pedestrian pushes/activates the crossing button, and they have a controlled crossing where the northbound on ramp can not make cars stop directly at the entrance via a signal. The southbound onramp configuration is more of an issue of limited space. Due to the fact that there is an existing gas station and shopping center adjacent to the southbound off ramp, there is no additional room that would allow for these two ramps to be pushed farther south. Without closing down local businesses and paying a large sum of money to do so (land and loss of business), the City designed the interchange with the available land and in a manner that met Caltrans standards. There will be a green arrow energized as well for vehicles entering this on ramp, which will help alleviate the back up that occurs in the temporary configuration now.

Q. When traveling southbound on Kanan Road, why does the far right lane now only turn right onto Canwood Street?

A. The far right lane has a limited capacity for vehicle storage (waiting) and if it were utilized as a through lane to the north 101 as it was in the past, vehicles trying to get into this lane towards the tail end of the storage tend to be diagonal across this lane and the next one over. This in turns causes a greater backup of vehicles. This also takes into consideration the number of vehicles that will be turning onto Canwood in the future as several office developments are completed.

Q. Why is traffic entering the new southbound "loop" on ramp forced to stop at a red light? Shouldn't this traffic have a green arrow to turn?

A. There is a green arrow that is in the original design plans for vehicles entering onto the southbound "loop" ramp. The project is still in a construction phase and this is one of the items that are left to complete. Once the new pedestrian crossing signal connecting the east and west sides of Kanan Road is installed, the green arrow signal will be activated and synchronized with the other traffic signals in the area.

Q. I almost got "T-Boned" by a vehicle crossing over a double yellow line to turn onto the freeway instead of going onto the new ramps. What are you going to do about it?

A. The individuals making the left turn across these double yellow lines are blatantly breaking the traffic laws. Unfortunately, you can’t design projects around individuals who fail to follow the law. We will continue to work with law enforcement to enforce the traffic laws and remind violators that there are consequences for this type of behavior. In addition, we are adding "channelizers" that will be erected in the striped medians to discourage this type of behavior. The project plans were not wrong but we are responding to the requests of our residents to further discourage individuals from putting others in harms way.

Q. It looks like the interchange is done, yet I seem to be waiting longer to get to the freeway. Why is this?

A. Although the project may appear finished, there are construction items that still need to be completed. One of these items is the retiming of the traffic signals on Kanan Road at the entrance to the freeway on ramps. Caltrans has recently energized the new signal "loops" which allows the timing of the traffic signals to be synchronized and adjust based on the amount of vehicular traffic during certain time periods of the day.

Q. What type of signage is going to be in place to help direct motorists into the correct lanes?

A. There will be a sign to the right of southbound traffic (Kanan Road) to indicate how each lane is designed to flow. Although this configuration is different than what was in place in the past, most daily commuters have adjusted and are aware of the correct lane to be in for their intended destination. Additional lane markings that appear in the road are in place to indicate the correct lanes as well. The design engineer and Caltrans are working together to look for additional signage that goes above and beyond current construction requirements to help travelers who may be new to the area.

Q. I have heard grumblings from residents about the results of the project. What are you doing to address their issues?

A. The answer really is that the results are not in yet. To give an example, you don't know who won the Monday night football game until the game is complete. This project is similar in that much of it is complete but there are still portions of the project that need to be finished. We have heard and responded to inquiries, complaints and questions as fast as we could, and tried to keep the public informed as much as possible through ads in the Acorn and other local newspapers, the Kanan Road website (www.kananroad.org), quarterly newsletters (mailed to every residence in Agoura Hills), and even a project email interest list. The City expresses its gratitude for your patience throughout this entire project and apologizes for any inconveniences that anyone may have incurred. It is our hope that judgment can be passed after the project is complete and regular commuters have had the chance to see first hand the improvements made.

Q. So when will the project be complete?

A. The project is in its final phase of construction and the major items affecting traffic flow as well as those items not affecting traffic will be in place in June 2007. Caltrans will do their final inspection of the project and create a "punch list" of any items that need to be adjusted, fixed, or changed.

Again, the City thanks it residents for taking the time to share their thoughts and hopes that when the project is complete, the "fruits of our labor" will be reaped by all that travel through this beautiful community.