Sierra Highway, Bouquet Canyon Road to get streetlights
Seeking increased safety on Sierra Highway and Bouquet Canyon Road for drivers and pedestrians, the city plans to put up a total of 79 new streetlights over the next few months.
To be installed by Southern California Edison, the lights on Sierra Highway will begin to go in during July and those on Bouquet Canyon Road will go in during August.
On Sierra Highway, streetlights will be installed on both the north and southbound sides from Soledad Canyon Road and the north of the exit for College of the Canyons’ Canyon Country campus.
Bouquet Canyon Road’s lights will be put on the eastbound side of the road from Festividad Drive to Centurion Way.
Last year, The Signal reported eight pedestrian traffic collisions on Sierra Highway.
In December 2016 alone, two pedestrians were killed
by vehicles on the highway within one week of one another.
A part of the highway where many of the collisions occur is controlled by both the state and city.
When The Signal inquired about changes to streetlights and crosswalks in December, city Communications Manager Carrie Lujan said there was nothing yet in the works but speculated improvements would likely be made in 2017.
“Shortly after that conversation, we were taking a look at options for Sierra Highway,” city Lujan told The Signal Monday.
At the start of 2017, Lujan said city staff began researching possible safety precautions and solutions and then approached Southern California Edison soon after.
The streetlights will be a combination of newly-installed and existing poles on Sierra Highway and only new ones on Bouquet Canyon Road.
“This was a fiscally responsible way to add a safety precaution to that stretch of highway by utilizing existing wood poles,” Lujan said.
Even with the new streetlights, Lujan said the city wants pedestrians to know they are still required to use crosswalks and drivers are required to be aware of pedestrians and obey the rules of the road.
Southern California Edison will put the streetlights up from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the installations will be completed in the fall.
Drivers can expect some delays, lane closures and reduced speeds during construction. City staff encourages motorists to note “no parking” signs.