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1.0 Proposed Project

1.2 PROJECT BACKGROUND

Project Location

The proposed Golden Valley Road Bridge Project is located entirely within the City of

Santa Clarita and would entail the construction of a bridge structure over the Santa Clara
River. The bridge would connect Soledad Canyon Road and the newly extended Newhall

Ranch Road (Figure 1-3). The northern terminus of the proposed action would be the

easternmost extent of Newhall Ranch Road, which is currently under construction to the
northwest of the project site. Grading for the majority of Newhall Ranch Road is

complete and construction is anticipated to conclude between October 2007 and April
2008. The southern terminus of the proposed action would lie at the northernmost extent

of the Golden Valley Road/Soledad Canyon Road interchange, which was recently
completed and was opened for public access in late 2005. Construction of the Golden

Valley Road bridge would take approximately 18 months.

Although the majority of the surrounding land is currently vacant, the area will be

developed in the future. Newhall Land Company constructed Riverpark, a residential and
commercial development of over 1,000 dwelling units and 16,000 square feet of

commercial space. Riverpark is located immediately northwest of the proposed bridge.
Additionally, an existing mobile home park is located southwest of the project site, and

utility lines run roughly north-south, parallel to the bridge alignment and separating the

bridge from a mixed commercial/industrial development to the west.

Project History

The trend of past growth in Santa Clarita is anticipated to continue into the foreseeable
future. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the current population of Santa Clarita is

168,253 residents. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)
projects that the population will increase to 231,846 by 2030. The number of households

is likewise anticipated to increase from 50,887 in 2004 to 82,806 by 2030, an average

annual growth rate of 2.09 percent. This compares to average annual growth rates for the

Page 1-4 Golden Valley Road Bridge EA
City of Santa Clarita