Costa Mesa : Costa Mesa-Irvine Monorail Proposed

The possibility of a privately financed monorail linking the area between South Coast Plaza and John Wayne Airport has been proposed to help alleviate the traffic-congested roads between Costa Mesa and Irvine.

Ed Friedrichs, vice president and managing principal of the Los Angeles-based architectural firm Gensler & Associates, said the idea for the monorail came to him while he was sitting in traffic one day trying to get from South Coast Plaza to Irvine.

Friedrichs, however, stressed that the proposal was in its “exploration” stage and would be feasible only if city officials supported the project and local developers were willing to finance it.

Friedrichs was scheduled to make his presentation late Tuesday to more than a dozen Orange County developers, including representatives from the Koll Co., Trammel Crow, Transpacific Development, Fluor Corp. and Irvine Office and Industrial Co.

“The financing is complicated for such a project,” Friedrichs said. “Nobody digs in his pocket without any related benefits.”

If built, the monorail would serve Irvine, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

“I’d rather not talk about this yet,” Friedrichs said. “After (Tuesday’s) meeting, this thing may die on the vine quietly.”