Old Town Roadwork to Begin in October

The Old Town Calabasas Road Improvement Project, which was delayed during the Caltrans construction of the Valley Circle interchange, is expected to begin in late October, city officials said this week.

The City Council approved $290,750 to hire Santa Barbara-based Martin, Northart & Spencer construction management company to oversee the $1.8-million project, handling grant applications, directing contractors and inspecting the work as it is being done.

The project, expected to go to bid later this month, will be built in five or six phases, taking approximately six months to complete, city officials said.

“We thought it would be best to use [Martin, Northart & Spencer’s] services rather than pile it on one of our people on top of all the other work they have to do,” said Steve Harris, director of community development.

The Old Town Calabasas project includes widening Calabasas Road and building a unified Old West theme into the existing shops and plaza areas, with old-fashioned boardwalks, street lights, wooden benches and hitching posts.

James Salvito, MNS vice president, said construction will begin on the north side of Calabasas Road, continue along the street and over to the south side from the Valley Circle interchange to Park Granada Boulevard.

Business owners said that traffic problems stemming from Caltrans construction of the interchange kept shoppers away from their stores for two years, and most are hoping that the improvements planned will bring them back. “I think it’ll be worth it, but I just want it to be over with,” said Alexis Alexander, owner of Blue Moon Gallery, of the construction time.

To help ease some of the impact on people in the area, the city has established an advisory committee made up of several business owners, members of the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce as well as representatives from area homeowners associations, Harris said.