Keeping Locust Rd./ Elwyn Ave Closed

Thank you to all the community members that stood united over the past two years to improve our community’s safety and way of life by the closure of Locust Rd / Elwyn Ave.

It is vital that we remain vigilant in our fight to keep the road closed. Since the road closure I have noticed a significant decrease in traffic, and vehicle speeds with an increase to the safety of ALPHA School children.

I am sure that those of us that try to get out of our driveways have also experienced the tremendous improvement. With the exploding growth in Placer County and surrounding areas our agricultural community will continue to face impacts to our safety as a whole, thus this decision exemplifies the road closure on Elwyn Ave / Locust Rd.

The recent decision to close Elwyn Ave / Locust Rd was based on traffic surveys and studies of its design during the impact study of Placer Vineyards in 2007. The roadways are unable to withstand the current traffic levels of approximately a thousand or more cars a day, much less the increased number 17,500. projected that the roadway would receive with the development in the nearby communities. Elwyn and Locust roads are narrow and un-improved. There are no shoulders for pedestrians and the children walking to school or for cars to pull safely to the shoulder for emergencies.

During the 2007 approval process of Placer Vineyards along with current studies, Elwyn Ave. and Locust roads were determined to be closed with the current traffic being diverted to other thoroughfares which were identified and approved for expansion. This road closure decision aligned and supported itself back to the original studies performed during the Placer Vineyard approval process and were supported by local law enforcement and fire services in our communities.

Another determination in the Placer Vineyard’s study found the traffic being dispersed from the Elwyn Ave. and Locust Rd closure would have no significant impact to the other roadways that have been identified as suitable for expansion to handle the increase traffic from the expansion projects occurring in the surrounding area. Traffic calming measures like round about’ s would require extreme widening of our road which means for all the residents living just off the road we will lose property and bring the rural road even closer to our door steps. This would include all residents living directly off Locust Rd/ Elwyn Ave.

As we all know a lot of the people traveling down our small and narrow rural road did so at speeds exceeding 60 MPH, and yes that was in the school zone as I live across the street.

As Roseville and the surrounding areas expand so does the amount of traffic that comes down our streets. With that traffic comes increasing accidents and speeds. As part of the community that worked so hard to get the road closed stand together as a community and support this petition.