Overpass connecting 23 to 118 could get lifesaving fencing




PREVENTIVE MEASURES—Local officials are pushing to have a fence installed to prevent people from leaping off the overpass connecting the 23 and 118 freeways in Moorpark. Acorn file photo

PREVENTIVE MEASURES—Local officials are pushing to have a fence installed to prevent people from leaping off the overpass connecting the 23 and 118 freeways in Moorpark. Acorn file photo

A substantial safety upgrade for the area’s most notorious overpass is finally getting some Caltrans consideration—but don’t expect changes any time soon.

At the Sept. 21 Moorpark City Council meeting, representatives from the state’s transportation department presented preliminary plans for fencing to be added to the side walls of the curved overpass. Should the project move forward, the anticipated completion date isn’t until sometime in 2027.

Since its construction in 1993, 14 people have intentionally jumped from the overpass, according to the California Highway Patrol. Three of those deaths have occurred since 2018. Others have died by falling off the overpass accidentally or in undetermined circumstances.

Known as the Arroyo Simi Overhead, the stretch of road where the 23 and 118 freeways meet in Moorpark can reach heights of approximately 90 feet over Princeton Avenue, depending on the terrain below.

The bridge had been in operation only four years when the first two people went over the hip-high side wall. Investigators never determined if the deaths were accidental or intentional.

Moorpark Mayor Janice Parvin said the city has been discussing making safety upgrades to the bridge for years with the state’s transportation department, which is responsible for freeway maintenance and improvements. Those conversations, though, led to little more than the placement of anti-suicide signage on the overpass in 2018.

While it’s impossible to know if the signs prevented any deaths, it’s a fact they haven’t prevented all deaths. The most recent person to die was a 26-year-old man in May.

Michael Comeaux, a Caltrans public information officer, told the Moorpark Acorn in July that there is no easy way to make the bridge safer.

Comeaux said installing fencing on both sides of the bridge could block the view of drivers along the curved portion of the road, which might result in Caltrans having to lower the speed limit.

Parvin said she’s glad that Caltrans is finally moving toward installing a barrier that could save lives.

“Caltrans is working on a project engineering design, which will still require funding, but we remain optimistic,” Parvin told the Acorn in June.

The curved, chain-link fence would extend three feet away from the overpass’ ledge in order to address the line-of-sight safety concern. Caltrans District 7 Project Lead Representative Stuart Ng and District 7 Chief Deputy Susan Chang gave the presentation and responded to the council’s questions.

All council members were concerned with the timeline of the project, about five years in total.

Councilmember Chris Enegren asked why the project’s environmental study would take two years to complete.

Ng said the timeline was a “conservative one” and expects the project could be finished in half the amount of time. Ng, however, said the project as it stands is in the beginning stages.

Next, Caltrans must design a plan and acquire funding, Ng said.

A $10 million grant Caltrans received from President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law could help pay for the work.

Caltrans said a lack of funds has kept it from starting on the project sooner.

“Caltrans has been monitoring this situation for several years,” a representative for Caltrans District 7 told the Acorn. “Until recently, there has been no approved state or federal funding source for this type of project.

“To compete successfully against many other high priority highway projects, we needed to demonstrate the need for the project in terms of depth and breadth,” the representative said.

There is no budget estimate for the work, but Caltrans is hoping the project’s cost won’t exceed the amount of the infrastructure grant.

Resident and public commenter Victoria Chaidez moved to Moorpark in 1992 and lives in one of the homes that overlooks the overpass. She said she has been aware of, or witnessed, every loss of life since the bridge was built.

“Think of the families of those people,” Chaidez said. “After every one, I call Mayor Parvin. She knows I’m going to call. And each time I say, ‘Have we had enough yet? Do we have a number that will qualify us to actually do something?’”

Once a project initiation document has been approved, Caltrans will return to the City Council next year, probably in January or February, to discuss next steps.

In the meantime, Ng said that Caltrans will not install a temporary deterrent.