Fifth District Supervisor John C. Zaragoza
Ventura County Supervisor John Zaragoza, in his capacity as chair of the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), on Friday announced that major safety improvements will soon be constructed on the portion of Ventura Boulevard within Oxnard city limits adjacent to Nyeland Acres. These improvements will connect to the Rice 1101 intersection improvements nearing completion later this summer.
The Ventura Boulevard Safety Improvement Project will greatly improve safety and provide other benefits for the Nyeland Acres community, he stated in a media release.
Currently, there is no sidewalk on Ventura Boulevard. Children and family members walk in the street, with cars and trucks zooming by, on their way to be picked up or dropped off at the local school bus site.
A 7-foot-wide sidewalk will be constructed, which will provide a safe place for children and their family members walking to the school bus site. A 12-inch water line will provide the opportunity to connect to Oxnard water service, and annexation to the city is required. New fire hydrants along Ventura Boulevard will improve emergency fire hydrant pressure fire flow, increasing safety in the event there is a fire in that immediate area. New underground drainage facilities will be constructed, so that children and families will no longer be concerned about being drenched with surface rain flow as they walk to the school bus site.
Other features of the project include landscaping improvements, an asphalt street overlay and no parking restrictions on the freeway side of the street. The completed project will bring improved safety and comfort for residents, enhanced vehicle safety and code compliance and neighborhood beautification, he said.
”This project is all about improving safety for the children and families in Nyeland Acres. I feel it will also be a source of community pride. I am proud to be one of the leaders in moving this project forward,” Zaragoza said.
The Ventura Boulevard Safety Improvement Project is funded with $3,707,000 in Federal transportation funds, with the City of Oxnard providing matching funds of $539,000. Total project funds are $4,246,000. It is expected that engineering design and specifications will be completed by Oct. 2012, with construction of the project beginning in February or March 2013. Construction is estimated to be completed in about three months.
This Ventura Boulevard Safety Improvement Project is a collaborative venture. The City of Oxnard will manage the project, and VCTC will provide with the vast majority of funding through Federal grants. Supervisor Zaragoza has worked with the City of Oxnard and representatives of the EI Riol Del Norte Municipal Advisory Council, the Garden Acres Mutual Water Company and the Nyeland Acres Mutual Water Company to obtain their input and advice on proposed landscaping, parking restrictions, aesthetics, schedule and other neighborhood preferences.
For more information on the Ventura Boulevard Safety Improvement Project, call the office of Ventura County Supervisor John Zaragoza at 805-654-2613. For water service and annexation information, please call the City of Oxnard at 805-385-7858.