MISSION VIEJO : Timetable to Finish Road to Be Discussed

The major players in efforts to complete Alicia Parkway will meet sometime next month to negotiate the timing for the paving of the road’s last half-mile.

The City Council decided Monday to pursue a meeting among representatives of the city, the county and the developers involved--the Mission Viejo Co. and the Santa Margarita Co.

The issue is important to Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita residents because the road is a vital connection for commuters traveling to the central and northern areas of the county.

The main access road for Rancho Santa Margarita to the rest of Orange County is Santa Margarita Parkway, which crosses Mission Viejo. Many Rancho Santa Margarita drivers use Mission Viejo’s residential streets as shortcuts to major thoroughfares.

The Mission Viejo Co., under terms of an agreement with the city, is responsible for completing Alicia Parkway, an east-west artery that would provide another access road for to Rancho Santa Margarita. Wendy Wetzel, a company spokeswoman, said the firm has hired a contractor to do the work.

However, according to a 1987 agreement with Mission Viejo, the Mission Viejo Co. must time its construction work on Alicia Parkway so that the road is completed at the same time as Oso Parkway nearby, Wetzel said.

Oso Parkway will not be finished for about a year, officials said.

Construction of Oso Parkway is included in the Foothill Circulation Phasing Plan, a $250-million joint venture between local developers and the county to provide roads before new homes are sold.

Construction problems have delayed completion of Oso Parkway to the spring of 1992, said Diane Gaynor, a spokeswoman for the Santa Margarita Co.

In the meantime, city officials say they hope an agreement can be worked out to finish Alicia Parkway that does not depend on the completion of Oso Parkway.

The council has scheduled a May 28 public hearing on the road completion.