Caltrans interested in giving up all of Coast Highway
Mathis Winkler
NEWPORT BEACH -- While City Council members recently voted to support
a proposal to take control over East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar,
officials at Caltrans have different ideas.
The plan supported by the City Council would allow village leaders to
remodel the street for Corona del Mar’s centennial in 2004.
That project, which is called “Vision 2004,” would replace
bleak-looking Caltrans street lights with green, “heritage-style” lamps
and add outdoor dining areas, benches, water fountains and more parks.
City leaders praised the idea to make Corona del Mar more
pedestrian-oriented and improve its appearance, but they did make it
clear that they still had major concerns.
First is the question of who will pay for the $12-million make-over.
“Vision 2004” promoters have said the city will receive money from
Caltrans as part of the transfer. State and federal grants could then be
used to cover the rest.
Maintaining the remodeled highway will also cost the city 10 times as
much as they’ve been spending. Some of those costs could be covered by an
increase in sales tax or a parking district.
Along with issues of liability for accidents, these are all issues
that can be worked out, and council members still have the option to back
out of the deal.
But what they definitely don’t want is responsibility for the highway
throughout the city. And that is what’s being proposed by Caltrans
officials.
“Caltrans’ preference is to relinquish [Pacific Coast Highway] from
the easterly limit to Newport Boulevard, or the westerly City limit,” Ken
Nelson, the agency’s interim director for District 12 -- which includes
Newport Beach -- wrote to city officials.
He added that this would prevent confusion by “motorists, as well as
the media and general public,” over who was in charge of what portion of
the highway.
“Vision 2004” supporters said they’d known about the issue all along.
And while the local Caltrans office has taken this stand, those in
charge up in Sacramento hopefully will see things differently, said Ed
Selich, who coordinates the project and also serves as the chair of the
city’s Planning Commission.
He added that negotiations with Caltrans officials over the transfer
would take place before June, when the California Transportation
Commission will hold a public hearing to decide whether to move ahead
with the proposal.
If the legislature approves the transfer this year, Newport Beach
could take over East Coast Highway by early 2002.
FYI
For more information on “Vision 2004,” go to o7 www.cdmvillage.comf7
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