State to Relinquish Thoroughfare to City

The state of California will formally relinquish a section of Foothill Boulevard in Sunland-Tujunga to the city of Los Angeles today along with a check to pay for major repairs to the commercial thoroughfare.

The transfer of the former state highway has been in the works for years, but was delayed until the city was satisfied that the road would be handed over in good condition.

State Assemblyman Bill Hoge (R-Pasadena) will be joined by Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs and other government officials and members of the local business community at a ceremony marking the transfer at 10 this morning in front of Rostand Fine Jewelers, 8349 Foothill Blvd., Sunland.

“The transfer has been very complex and we are extremely pleased that this project is finally near completion,” said Arline De Sanctis, spokeswoman for Councilman Wachs. “We will be very happy to have the boulevard under the city’s control.”

With the construction of freeways, sections of former highways maintained by the state have been turned over to municipalities.

In 1993, California relinquished a stretch of Foothill Boulevard between Paxton Street and Wheatland Avenue in Lake View Terrace. The section of Foothill included in the latest transfer extends eastward from Wheatland to Lowell Avenue in Tujunga.

The $6.89-million repair project, to be paid for by the state and carried out by the city, is scheduled to begin in January to spare local merchants disruptions during the December holiday season.

It will include repaving, traffic signal synchronization, landscaping, street lighting improvements and the installation of wheelchair ramps.

“We’re ecstatic. This is something we’ve been trying to get accomplished for 18 years,” said Kathy Anthony, president of the Sunland-Tujunga Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s going to be a big lift for our town.”