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A horse town in Southern California is one step closer to getting a safety fix that equestrians have waited years for.
The Los Angeles City Council finally approved more than $400,000 in additional funding Tuesday for a long-stalled horse crossing on Sunland Boulevard in Shadow Hills, bringing the project’s total to $892,500.
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The motion, introduced by Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, adds to the $455,500 the council approved in 2021 for a signal that riders can activate to cross Sunland Boulevard at Johanna Avenue.
The crossing has still not been installed. The 2021 motion described the project as a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK) beacon signal.
It would let equestrians cross from the bridle path on the north side of Sunland Boulevard to the trail system on the south side, strengthening connectivity through the Foothills horse-keeping communities.
Residents say the intersection has been hazardous for decades, even though the surrounding equestrian-zoned properties are home to an estimated 70% of residents who own horses.
“We have to be very careful about crossing the roads, because the drivers are way too fast. Some roads we don’t even go on, like Southern Boulevard.
“We don’t go near there anymore because it’s too dangerous for us,” horse owner Lisa Salazar told The California Post.
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) said the crossing has already been designed and is ready for installation, but requires additional funding.
“While unexpected inflationary construction costs and additional public works requirements doubled the cost of this specific project, we are working with LADOT to include this project in an early 2027 package bid,” Rodriguez said in a statement, the news outlet reported.
The 2021 motion drew the money from the city’s Equestrian Facilities Trust Fund, which holds equine license fees paid annually by riders in Los Angeles and is devoted to building new equestrian facilities. Shadow Hills is one of the city’s horse-keeping communities.
The intersection was added to a city list of recommended horse crossings in 2012. Five years after the 2021 approval, residents say the delay points to a deeper problem.
“The budget was allocated, the work was supposed to be done… at the rate we’re going, that’s going to be another 10, 15 years,” Shadow Hills resident Musheegh Muradyan told ABC News.
Horse owner Vickie Sampson welcomed the new funding, the news outlet reported. “This is really great news. I should throw my hat up in the air.”
