A once-small
community in Ventura County wants to prohibit truck traffic on
a state highway that runs through their community. Now, after
years of talk, Moorpark, CA, has authorized a $20,000 study to
see if all truck traffic except local deliveries could be diverted
off California 118.
The stretch
of highway under scrutiny is part of the National Highway System,
a group of highways classified by the federal government as needed
for interstate travel and national defense.
According
to the mayor's office, Moorpark has hired a consulting firm to
determine the city's chances of success before it begins a full-scale
lobbying effort. It's not the first time the community has tried
to ban semis from the stretch of highway that now wanders through
the growing community. The Simi Valley Freeway is heavily used
by truckers, offering quick access to I-405, I-5 and I-101 along
the coast.
In 1989,
1994 and 1999, the city appealed to the California Department
of Transportation for help. Each time, the agency told the city
to submit a formal application to ban truck traffic, a time-consuming
and complex process. Three years ago, the city started looking
for a consulting firm to do the study, but was unable to find
one until recently.
"I know
a couple of bypasses have been proposed," a temporary spokesman
for the Ventura County CHP told Land Line. "Our office only
handles highway on each side of Moorpark, the sheriff's office
handles traffic on the part of the state highway in question."
