The L.A. County Board of Supervisors approved a quarter-billion-dollars’ worth of work Tuesday for The Old Road, focused on a 2-mile stretch of the existing right-of-way between Henry Mayo Drive and Magic Mountain Parkway.  The work is planned to be done in two phases, each widening a different stretch of the road in both directions and making needed upgrades to a pair of bridges along the way. County officials said Wednesday the expected timeline for completion was 2030.   “This project represents a critical investment in the future of our Santa Clarita Valley communities and the regional safety of our roadways,” 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board, said in a news release. “By improving traffic flow, enhancing pedestrian and bike access and strengthening our infrastructure, we are setting the stage for a safer, more accessible, and more reliable transportation network. These improvements will serve our residents for generations to come.”   County officials said the first phase focuses on the realignment and widening from Henry Mayo Drive to just north of Rye Canyon Road in the city of Santa Clarita. The existing two lanes in each direction there will be expanded to three, increasing capacity and improving traffic flow. This phase will also include intersection improvements, such as new sidewalks, parkways, medians, bike lanes and modernized street lighting.  The primary phase is priced at approximately $37.3 million, with a little over $29 million coming from L.A. County Metro funding, and another $8.3 million coming via “local return funds” from the 5th Supervisorial District’s Transportation Improvement Program.  The project also will close gaps in pedestrian infrastructure by installing sidewalks on both sides of the road along the entire stretch of the project and address several identified deficiencies in the area’s current infrastructure. Courtesy County officials said the valuation of the work was based on figures from the county’s Department of Public Works.   The second phase is expected to be significantly pricier based on the project’s valuation, and the funding will be requested through the annual budget process, according to officials.  Phase II is expected to widen The Old Road from Interstate 5 to Magic Mountain Parkway, transforming the existing two-lane roadway into a three-lane corridor in each direction.   This phase also includes the replacement of two key bridges — one over the Santa Clara River and another over the former Southern Pacific Transportation Co. railroad — which is costly work.  The project also will close gaps in pedestrian infrastructure by installing sidewalks on both sides of the road along the entire stretch of the project and address several identified deficiencies in the area’s current infrastructure.  That stretch of The Old Road does not currently meet Public Works’ highway design speed safety standards, nor does it incorporate bicycle improvements proposed in the County Bicycle Master Plan, according to the county’s agenda for the project discussion.  The Old Road over the Santa Clara River bridge is currently classified as “structurally deficient” per Federal Highway Administration standards for seismic, flood and highway design, according to officials.   Additionally, Public Works staff stated the bridge is not high enough to allow the volume of water of a “capital flood event,” or a 50-year flood, which means one that has a 1-in-50 chance of happening in a year.   Replacing the bridge would fix that, according to officials, and reconstructing The Old Road bridge over the abandoned Southern Pacific Railroad is also necessary to accommodate the widening.   Portions of the abandoned railroad right-of-way would be transformed into an extension of the Santa Clara River multiuse trail.  The post County OKs $250M project for The Old Road   appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.