Live Oak Park Road closure update

Avalon Hester

Village News Intern

Residents with an I-15 commute will be all too familiar with the long-standing road closures along Live Oak Park Road. Traffic along Live Oak Park Road is directed one way with temporary lights installed at three different intersections. Notably at the intersection between Live Oak Park Road and Gum Tree Lane, where a new bridge is being constructed to replace the previous culvert.

The new bridge will meet current federal standards and estimates of 100-year flood levels. Water pipes that transport water from Live Oak Creek will also be replaced. In the meantime, residents are experiencing exceedingly long delays while waiting for lights to change.

During such waits, residents might have wondered when the project is scheduled to be finished, what are the updates and why do the lights take so long? The Department of Public Works had the answers.

The Live Oak Park Bridge Replacement is a collaboration between Caltrans, the Department of Public Works and Rainbow Water Supply. The project is scheduled to enter Phase 2 of development July 17, on which date one way traffic will be shifted to the newly constructed southern bridge portion.

When asked about the long wait times at red lights, the Department of Public Works offered their apologies. "The traffic signal being used to manage travel in the area has been adjusted and we apologize for any inconvenience. Wait times at the signal should now be shorter."

The county also explained how the temporary lights at these intersections work, saying, "[The lights are] programmed to maintain a red light for all phases until traffic approaches. A camera and radar are utilized at each of the phasing locations to detect approaching traffic and select which phase has right of way. Each phase has a preset minimum and maximum green time and yellow and clear times to allow motorists to pass through the entire lane closure before another phase allows their traffic to proceed. The timing can be modified to increase or decrease the timing depending on the activities occurring at the construction site."

The project is costing about $6.7 million of Federal Highway Administration Highway Bridge Program grant funds.