MOORPARK : Officials Question Caltrans Relocation

A proposal by Caltrans to move its Moorpark maintenance station to the southwest corner of New Los Angeles Avenue and the Moorpark Freeway is being met with resistance by city officials.

The City Council voted this week to send the California Department of Transportation proposal to its Community Development Committee before deciding the matter June 17.

City Manager Steven Kueny said city officials are concerned that the proposed facility, which will consist mainly of a large garage for Caltrans equipment, would be an eyesore to motorists along the freeway and New Los Angeles Avenue.

In addition, the proximity of the proposed location to a freeway on-ramp could pose a traffic hazard, he said. Motorists picking up speed to get on the freeway could encounter Caltrans employees moving heavy equipment in and out of the maintenance building’s yard.

City officials will explore whether Caltrans could put the new facility in either Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks or another location, Kueny said. The 26 Caltrans employees working out of the existing Moorpark station serve the east county, he said.

Caltrans is seeking a new location to build a maintenance station because it has outgrown its current facility at 512 W. Los Angeles Ave., where it has two mobile homes on a 1.85-acre lot, Kueny said.

The state agency prefers the New Los Angeles Avenue site, which is three acres, because it already owns the property. It doesn’t have the money to purchase another site, Kueny said.