NEWHALL GATEWAY BEAUTIFICATION
Santa Clarita, California

Project Background:
Funded through the city of Santa Clarita, this project seeks to beautify the unimproved areas of the on- and off-ramp interchange located at Newhall Avenue and SR-14. Over the years, no improvements have been made to provide an aesthetically pleasing, regionally adapted landscape. The land is barren, with no color, nor any consistency with the City’s well established landscape infrastructure.

Design:
Special emphasis will be placed on creating beautifully landscaped gateway entry and exit points visible to motorists on this regionally significant freeway as they travel to, from, and through Santa Clarita. PCLD and its team of sub consultants will focus on beautification of areas adjacent to interchange by improving the blighted conditions and highlighting and framing views of the natural mountains. This project seeks to improve stormwater runoff and water infiltration, increase the biodiversity and aid in carbon sequestration. A variety of trees, shrubs, and ground covers will highlight the interchange and complement the location’s natural habitat.

Sustainability
This project includes a variety of native and adaptive plantings and focuses on low impact development, green street strategies and drainage solutions. The site improvements seek to contain run-off, and possibly filter pollutants from the freeway already flowing through the open space and into the existing drainage infrastructure. New plantings will minimize site erosion especially on the east side of the interchange.