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