Residents Demand an Access Road

Nyeland Acres residents Monday demanded that a Ventura County supervisor back their request for an access road off busy Santa Clara Avenue, even if the Board of Supervisors rejects a proposal to widen the avenue to four lanes.

An access road is needed as a safety buffer for residents living along the heavily traveled stretch of road north of Oxnard, residents said.

“If they could just take an extra few feet, they could solve our problem,” said Tamara Moore, one of a handful of residents at a news conference.

Residents said they are targeting Supervisor Steve Bennett of Ventura because some Nyeland Acres children attend a school in his district. Oxnard Supervisor John Flynn, whose district includes Nyeland Acres, has already pledged his support for the access road, the residents said.

Bennett said he is not opposed to the idea of an access road. But the county’s planning department must first study the proposal before the board decides the issue, the supervisor said.

“A frontage road means a bypass and that is a major project,” he said. “Until we get that information from staff, the only question before us is: Do we go with two-lane improvements or do we go with four lanes?”

Bennett said he will support a scaled-down project that improves intersections but keeps the country road at two lanes when the board takes up the issue today. Other supervisors appeared to be headed in that direction as well.

County road planner Butch Britt recommended a month ago that supervisors approve doubling the lanes on Santa Clara Avenue to make way for increased traffic. The $16.5-million project called for widening a 2.8-mile stretch from the Ventura Freeway to where it connects with California 118.

Road planners also want to widen Central Avenue along a two-mile stretch from Camarillo’s city limit to the Santa Clara Avenue intersection.

But supervisors put off a vote after residents protested that a four-lane highway near their homes was unsafe. Last week, the board instructed Britt’s staff to redo the project to include wider turn lanes, paved shoulders and new pavement--but to hold off on four lanes for now.

Soledad Trevino said that is not enough. Board members should act now to approve a frontage road to answer the concerns of residents who have dealt with traffic for years, said Trevino, a 12-year resident.

“You can see how fast they go,” she said, pointing to big rigs whizzing past her home.