'Turko Files' Takes on Dead End: Mast Blvd. to Lakeside

The ire of many in Santee, the dead end at Mast Boulevard where the road should continue into Lakeside was recently featured on KUSI's "The Turko Files."

The missing roadway is less than a quarter mile long and at one time a four lane boulevard was planned to run from Santee to Lakeside.

The traffic going into Lakeside is diverted through a residential neighborhood on a windy road. Many accidents have been reported along this stretch, with at least two deaths.

"People drive like maniacs through there," a resident told Turko.

BK Homes is planning to build a new home development along the detour path.

Turko said more than ten years ago, when he first investigated the issue, he was reassured it was in planing stages and would be taken care of. Residents in the area were told the road would be completed after SR-52 was extended into Santee.

Neither Santee or County officials could explain to Turko why the road wasn't finished, but they said that no money is set aside for the project in the near future.

In 2011 the Mayor wrote a post about the issue in Santee Patch and had this to say about why it hasn't been completed:

"It is, all about the money..."

"The cost of completing the hook up of Mast Boulevard is $5.4 million dollars. Santee's portion would be $4 million dollars for 600 feet of roadway and the County would be $1.4 million for the other 400 feet of roadway.

"Why so darned expensive you ask? The connection would be two lanes each way over VERY unstable dirt that would have to be extensively graded and packed. Also road building is inherently expensive because of the way we have to do it in California, with prevailing wage rules and 1,000 other California requirements." Read the whole post from the Mayor

Watch the Turko Files here

Read a letter to the editor on the topic