Caltrans Works Through the Worst of Pothole Repairs

Dear Street Smart:

I travel to work going south on MacArthur Boulevard in Newport Beach. Between Ford Road and Newport Coast Drive, there are very large potholes that have not been repaired for weeks.

My back windshield shattered as a result of hitting a pothole. When will Caltrans repair the potholes?

Also, what is their address to write to them about the $300 cost to repair the back windshield?

Edward M. Hepner

Newport Beach

During the storms this winter, a lot of potholes cropped up on all state highways, including MacArthur Boulevard, Caltrans spokeswoman Rose Orem said. At the time, pothole repair took a back seat to other storm-related road damage and only the most severe potholes that were considered a safety hazard were fixed, she said.

When the storms subsided, a review of all state highways was conducted and areas needing immediate pothole repair were scheduled first, Orem said. Maintenance crews went out five separate times in February to repair potholes on MacArthur Boulevard along the Corona del Mar Freeway, she said.

Additional repairs are planned as soon as crews are available, Orem said. Concerning any claims you may want to file, you can call the Caltrans district office at (714) 724-2000.

Dear Street Smart:

I live in Bryant Ranch in east Yorba Linda. When traveling home at night, I exit the eastbound Riverside Freeway at Gypsum Canyon Road.

This off-ramp does not have any street lights. You are in total darkness as you approach the stop sign. I don’t feel very safe using this off-ramp.

Bryant Ranch is a fairly good-sized community, so I am sure there are others who must feel the same way. My only alternative is to exit at Weir Canyon Road and take La Palma Avenue for three miles.

Are there any plans to light up this off-ramp? I have noticed there are four street lights near the off-ramp on Gypsum Canyon Road, but they are not working.

Carol Ward

Yorba Linda

Construction of the toll road along the Riverside Freeway from the county line to the Costa Mesa Freeway has resulted in some disruption of the electrical circuits serving the Gypsum Canyon off-ramp, Orem said. Caltrans maintenance crews have worked with the contractor to keep the lights repaired and operational, but this has proved difficult because ongoing construction keeps disrupting the lighting.

Do not despair. In the case of Gypsum Canyon Road, construction is expected to be finished by mid-May. Replacing the burnt-out lights are all that is needed now, according to Julie Chay, a spokeswoman for the Riverside Freeway Toll Project.

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A mobile video kiosk that displays information about the $166-million El Toro Y-Interstate 5 Improvement Project will be at Western Digital, 8105 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, through May 19. The Orange County Transportation Authority in conjunction with Caltrans, sponsors the traveling kiosk in an effort to provide the public information about the El Toro Y freeway improvements, as well as bus and rail services available to commuters.

The project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 1996. It is funded primarily by a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in Irvine and Orange County.

Improvements will include a new interchange at Bake Parkway, redesigned exits, direct freeway-to-freeway car-pool lane connectors and 15 miles of continuous car-pool lanes.

For the latest information about the El Toro Y Project, call the Transportation Helpline at (714) 724-2077.

Street Smart appears Mondays in The Times Orange County Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around in Orange County. Include simple sketches if helpful. Letters may be published in upcoming columns. Please write to Caroline Lemke, c/o Street Smart, The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted.