POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED FULLY TO THE EFFECTED AREAS. An electrical transformer has blown out in the 27300 block of Catala Avenue in Saugus. The damaged transformer caused a small fire that was immediately extinguished by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The blown transformer has caused traffic signal outages at the following intersections: (more…)

To ensure pedestrian safety, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich made calling for the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Via Princessa and Swan Lake using funds provided by Pardee Homes. (more…)

At least one lane of southbound I-5 just south of State Route 14 will be closed from Sunday to Friday for construction all this week. The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) says that the southbound traffic lane will be closed from 7:00 PM until 6:00 AM from I-5 to the 14 connector. One traffic lane on the I-5 northbound truck route will also be closed 5:00-9:00 AM this week as well. (more…)

(From the nytimes.com) The intersection of Interstate 405 and Sunset Boulevard, cutting through a prosperous stretch of rolling Los Angeles hills and estates, is notorious for its knots of traffic and frustrating delays. Traffic is so bad that it is hard to figure out how it could get any worse. Well, a $1.3 billion highway reconstruction project that began with a blizzard of alarming detour signs the other day is about to make it much worse. And that has put a large part of this city on edge. (more…)

The Cross Valley Connector continues to reduce traffic volumes in the vicinity of one of the City’s major intersections –Bouquet Canyon Road at Soledad – with a corresponding reduction in traffic accidents as well. The City uses its state-of-the-art ITS or Intelligent Transportation System to track traffic flow at major intersections where the infrastructure has been installed.  One component of the ITS includes fixed detectors embedded in the pavement that allows the City’s traffic engineers to track traffic counts in real time. (more…)

(From Science Daily) Transportation engineering PhD student Zhixia Li was attracted to the University of Cincinnati because of the real-world education and experience the university provides. In return, he’s headed a real-world project that every driver can relate to. It’s a project on which he has presented and published nationally, and it looks at what he calls the “yellow light dilemma.” Are you, as a driver, more likely to stop or to speed through a yellow light? (more…)

If you were commuting north to Santa Clarita then no doubt you were tied up in some serious freeway traffic on Friday. There was a brush fire on the east side of the northbound 5 freeway, South of the Calgrove exit in Newhall and it forced all northbound I-5 freeway lanes at Calgrove to close down by the California Highway Patrol to allow the Fire Department access to the fire. Approximately 30-40 acres burned making the Friday afternoon commute miserable for most. The origin of the fire is not yet known. Los Angeles County Fire Department water dropping helicopters were on the scene until the fire was contained. Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station deputies did not need to order evacuations, and were advising residents to shelter in place. Arson/Explosives investigators are investigating the fire.

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s Traffic Office is investigating a fatal traffic collision that occurred on westbound Soledad Canyon Road near Gailxy Avenue in Canyon Country. A deputy working in the area came upon a vehicle that had apparently struck the curb and overturned. After a quick assessment of the collision scene, the deputy determined that the driver had struck a pedestrian who had been on the sidewalk. The pedestrian, male age 15 of Canyon Country, was fatally injured as a result of the collision. The driver of the vehicle, male 47 of Canyon Country, was treated for minor injuries. (more…)

(From the AP) Southern California commuters can now say they’ve seen it all, including a naked man in the middle of Interstate 405. California Highway Patrol Officer Monica Posada says the first call came at the height of rush-hour Thursday — a man with no clothes was in the center divide of the freeway. (more…)

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff Station’s Traffic Office will be conducting a collision investigation on Valencia Boulevard between Citrus Street and McBean Parkway this Friday morning, July 9th, 2010. The nature of the investigation will require complete closure of the roadway in both directions from approximately 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) A runaway truck speeding out of control through the Grapevine area of Interstate 5 hit a California Highway Patrol cruiser trying to clear its path Saturday, triggering a three-vehicle collision that sent all three drivers to the hospital. (more…)

(MMD Newswire) The 4th of July is one of the busiest traffic days of the year and nothing can ruin a vacation more quickly than an undeserved traffic ticket. Information on how many traffic tickets are issued in each state is hard to come by because most localities – especially ticket-happy speed trap towns — are reluctant to publicize their ticketing prowess and states typically don’t have an agency responsible for gathering and summarizing ticket data from the various jurisdictions. (more…)

Cell phones are great – unless the person using one is behind the wheel of a car and ends up killing somebody. Fatal accidents involving cell use while driving have taken their toll in California, and state legislators have reacted by adopting three laws restricting using cells while operating vehicles. But state Sen. Joe Simitian, author of those laws, says too many motorists are still racing down highways fumbling with cell phones and cruising city streets while pecking at tiny keyboards. (more…)

(From the latimes.com) California Highway Patrol investigators are increasing their efforts to find a sniper who has been shattering car windows in the Inland Empire, apparently with a pellet gun. No injuries have been reported as a result of the attacks. Many of the shootings have been on the 10, 15 and 215 freeways. KTLA reported that 45 vehicles have been damaged in recent weeks, with a dozen motorists reporting incidents Friday. Officers have asked anyone with information about the alleged sniper to contact the Inland highway patrol office at (909) 388-8000.

(From the AP) A Los Angeles County board has agreed to further study the concept of building a tunnel to complete the Long Beach Freeway. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board agreed Thursday to fund an analysis of options, including boring a tunnel, to deal with traffic caused by the incomplete freeway. (more…)

(From the AP) The California Highway Patrol says a sniping vandal has shattered dozens of car windows in shootings on three San Bernardino County freeways. No injuries are reported but the CHP says some 30 vehicles have been damaged in recent weeks on Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass, Interstate 10 in Colton and Ontario and Interstate 215 in Colton and Riverside.  Sgt. Andrew Thompson says the attacker uses a pellet or BB gun to shatter the rear windows. Authorities say the attacks don’t appear aimed at hurting anyone.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announces that SR-2 from La Canada-Flintridge to Mount Wilson    Road will remain closed to the public due to severe damage resulting from heavy rains.  This section of highway is expected to reopen by mid to late Summer 2010. (more…)

To enhance public safety in the Santa Clarita Valley, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich announced new traffic control measures at following locations:

In Stevenson Ranch, new stop signs will be installed at: (more…)