City Outraged at SR-14 North LA County Safety and Mobility Improvement Corridor Meeting Cancelation

PALMDALE, CA - The City of Palmdale is outraged by Caltrans' decision to postpone the SR-14 North Los Angeles County Safety and Mobility Improvement Study public meetings, which were scheduled for Sept. 12 in Palmdale and Sept. 14 in Santa Clarita.

The improvement study's goal is to seek solutions to enhance safety and improve travel times along the corridor. Prior to the delay, nearly 40,000 meeting notices were mailed to residents, and numerous social media posts were made to inform the public.

"This decision is unacceptable," said Mayor Austin Bishop. "The project is essential to providing safe and efficient transportation for all North Los Angeles County residents, including Palmdale, and Caltrans should be held accountable for their inadequacies in this decision."

The North Los Angeles County Transportation Coalition, a regional Joint Powers Authority composed of Los Angeles County and the cities of Santa Clarita, Palmdale and Lancaster, is investing local tax dollars into the improvement study. For decades, the lane drops and gaps along the SR14 have caused severe problems for residents traveling between the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys. This study is essential to improving this key route.

"This last-minute delay is why residents feel like their tax money is going to waste and government agencies fail them," said Mayor Pro Tem Richard J. Loa. "I join my fellow residents and elected officials in outrage at the lack of consideration of the public's time and resources."

Caltrans and Metro have studies dating back over a decade showing the high accident rates and unpredictable travel times on the SR-14 between Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley. The public demands suitable answers to this decision that Caltrans has yet to deliver.