- The Ridge Route Preservation Organization got approval to begin the Pothole Project, repairing parts of the old road.
- The organization looks for the community's help, either through hands-on or monetary assistance.
- The organization hopes to begin construction in Spring 2024, depending on weather conditions.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A well–travel road featuring spectacular views is getting a new lease on life.
Sydney Croasmun, the Public Relations Director of the Ridge Route Preservation Organization describes her fascination.
“This road was a big turning point in California history. It was built in 1915 at a point in time when California was debating splitting in two from north and south. And this road opened up trade and access from Northern California to Southern California.”
She added, “We’re talking [about] the point in time where they were moving from stage coaches to the first automobiles, and this was designed specifically for the automobile.”
Michael Ballard, President of the Ridge Route Preservation Organization, detailed the historical impact of the first paved road to bridge Northern and Southern California.
“One of the biggest things about the roadway that makes it a historic resource, beyond it just being an old road, is [that] it was very much responsible for keeping California together as one state,” Ballard said. “... we’re looking to have it more open and more accessible for everybody to enjoy.”
Growing up in the Santa Clarita area, Ballard said the ridge route was “... one of those things you heard stories about is twisting mountain roadway that people would get to the end of it and swear they never want to travel it again because it was so curvy and so slow.”
Originally designed for travelers in the early to mid-1900s, the Ridge Route now serves another purpose in recent years.
Croasmun said, “In 2021, the Lake Fire in this area impacted Lake Hughes. And they did use this road as an access road for fire trucks and bulldozers.”
But as the asphalt weathered down over the years, the Ridge Route organization says it’s time to intervene.
“The pothole project aims to preserve and protect the original concrete and the original paving of the Old Ridge Route,” said Croasmun.
The Ridge Route organization got approval from the Angeles National Forest to launch the Pothole Project.
“This is going to be an ongoing project,” Croasmun said. “You can see the condition of the road and it… needs some love.”
The organization says this project will make the road safer and more accessible.
“We’re in a high fire danger area,” said Croasmun. “So one of the big goals is actually to make it more accessible for the fire department. If there’s anything that happens up here, they can get up here quicker.”
But to make this project possible, the organization looks for people to get involved.
“Anybody that has either the skills of dealing with such things or is just willing to get out there with a shovel, get out there with a rake, get out there with basic tools or some mechanized tools to help clear the road, help repair it,” Ballard said.
The organization hopes to start construction in Spring 2024, after all winter weather has worn out.
“A lot of people will pass by it down on the [I-5] and they don’t even know it’s up here,” Croasmun said. “And it’s this key point of California history that still is mostly intact… You rarely find a road like this still in existence.”
Those interested in getting involved either monetarily or hands-on can visit the Pothole Project on the Ridge Route Preservation Organization website.
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