Local residents and government officials gathered Wednesday to celebrate the completion of the Newhall Ranch Road bridge extension.

The construction project extends the bridge on Newhall Ranch Road between McBean Parkway and Avenue Tibbets to four lanes on both the east and westbound sides.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by a variety of government dignitaries from the city, county, state and federal levels.

A new trail under the bridge on the west bank was also completed as part of the project, and drew a contingent of local cyclists to the event to display their support.

After the attendees greeted each other over coffee and donuts, Mayor Marsha McLean began the ceremony by welcoming everyone.

“You can tell by everyone that’s here how important this project is to all of us,” said McLean.

The Newhall Ranch Road bridge is among the most trafficked bridges in Santa Clarita, with an average of 35,000 vehicles crossing daily, according to City officials.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Santa Clarita as part of the Fifth District, was also in attendance and spoke at the podium.

“In our community, we talk a lot about the importance of building bridges, and this project shows both practically and metaphorically,” said Barger. “We all know building and widening bridges takes time, and especially when you’re working with the government.”

The project initially broke ground about two years ago in May 2017.

“The bridge expansion not only reduces traffic, but improves pedestrian safety and encourages outdoor activity by connecting hikers and cyclists to hundreds of miles of city and county trails,” said Barger. “I know this project had a wider impact than just widening the bridge, it really solidified a strong relationship between the city and the county.”

Barger was followed by a representative for Congresswoman Katie Hill, who shared his congratulations with the community on behalf of Hill.

Kris Hough, a representative for State Senator Scott Wilk, also presented the City of Santa Clarita with a commendation for their successful completion of the project on behalf of the senator.

“He is so proud of the City of Santa Clarita and of our supervisor, Kathryn Barger, because projects like this just don’t happen,” said Hough. “It takes so much vision, foresight, it takes a community that wants these amenities, and our City is always right there when we need it.”

Hough was followed by Michelle Campbell, who presented a commendation on behalf of Assemblywoman Christy Smith to Barger for her contributions to the project.

“We want to thank you for your commitment to the infrastructure of our community, to provide residents and commuters accessible and improved transportation routes,” said Campbell. “So thank you for building partnerships and bridges.”

McLean then returned to the podium to close out the spoken portion of the ceremony and invited attendees to witness the ribbon cutting.

“This project is just one of many in our Santa Clarita 2020 Plan that supports the lifestyle our residents enjoy, while also providing infrastructure for our community,” said McLean.

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