LISA WAHLA HOWARD, Valley Press Staff Writer
August 22, 2005
City to consider plan for Glendale tunnel
The Antelope Valley is expected to nearly double in population to 700,000 residents by 2020.
PALMDALE - Would it be worth $3 billion for a quicker route to Los Angeles? What about $2 million to $3 million for a more detailed study of that route? The City Council tonight will discuss a preliminary study of a proposed tunnel from the Antelope Valley Freeway south of Palmdale to Glendale, a 23-mile route through the Angeles National Forest.
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URS Corp. Inc. has determined that an all-tunnel option wouldn't be feasible to construct, but a route using a combination of tunneling and surface roadway would be most cost-effective. Construction costs alone are projected at $2.6 billion in today's dollars, with a total project cost of $3.1 billion, or roughly $130 million per mile.
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Mayor Jim Ledford said Friday he is interested in exploring a third route to the Los Angeles. "On the 138, on the 14, we're looking at significant dollars for improvements there, and we're in partnership with Santa Clarita on getting improvements on the 5." Ledford said the plan agreed to by the North County Transportation Coalition - including Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Clarita - calls for improvements worth several billion dollars.
 
Projects include expanding Highway 138 to four lanes; adding reversible carpool lanes on the Antelope Valley Freeway; adding mixed flow, carpool and truck lanes on Interstate 5; expanding Highway 138 west of Lancaster to Gorman to four lanes; and developing the High Desert Corridor from Palmdale to the Victor Valley. The Antelope Valley is expected to nearly double in population to 700,000 residents by 2020.