New projects slow down freeways in Costa Mesa

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Drivers can’t miss the bright orange construction signs

and gleaming red brake lights on freeways through the city, not so subtly

announcing the numerous changes underway on the popular roadways.

A number of improvements in the works are designed to alleviate

congestion on the crowded freeways and the city streets feeding into

them. The California Department of Transportation, the Orange County

Transportation Authority and the city have partnered to bring these

changes to area freeways.

“We are doing our best to just keep [the traffic] moving,” said Sandra

Friedman, spokeswoman for Caltrans.

Two major projects -- the Transitway Project and the Confluence

Project -- total $196 million and are expected to ease the flow of

traffic on the San Diego, Costa Mesa and Corona del Mar freeways.

Many of the specific improvements target problem areas such as the

Bristol Street offramp on the northbound San Diego Freeway. Drivers

wishing to exit the freeway to go to South Coast Plaza must merge right,

while fighting the traffic being dumped onto the freeway from the Costa

Mesa Freeway that is trying to merge left.

As a result of the massive improvements, a “braid” will be constructed

so traffic trying to exit at Bristol will go under the cars merging onto

the San Diego Freeway, said Peter Naghavi, transportation services

manager for Costa Mesa.

“The whole idea is to keep things running smoothly and allow people to

get on and off the freeway easily,” Friedman said. “When people try to

weave, it slows everything down and causes a chain reaction all the way

down the road.”

Although the projects are designed to relieve traffic headaches,

commuters may experience an increase in traffic during the construction,

officials said.

Friedman said the project is one of the least intrusive on drivers

because most of the work is done behind barriers. But she said many

people still slow down to look at “all the shiny equipment” used during

construction.

Drivers must also adjust their normal routes to accommodatethe

changes, she said. For example, those who ordinarily travel south on

Harbor Boulevard to get on the San Diego Freeway toward Long Beach will

find the onramp has been permanently closed. Instead, they are to use the

new Hyland Avenue onramp, built to divert traffic from the South Coast

Metro area off Harbor, Naghavi said.

Construction on both projects was started last year and is expected to

be finished by 2003. Costa Mesa’s share of the cost for both projects

totals $33.5 million, Naghavi said. The Hyland onramp was funded

exclusively by the city.

However, the initial work on the projects goes back about 12 years,

City Manager Allan Roeder said. He added that he is proud to see the

actual construction finally taking place. It is significant not simply

for moving more freeway traffic but for relieving some of the demands on

local streets, Roeder said.

“It puts traffic back on the freeways where it’s supposed to be,” he

said.

BOX

ROAD CONSTRUCTION

The following are the freeway improvements being implemented in the

Costa Mesa area by both the Transitway and Confluence projects.

1. Bristol Braid: Designed to move northbound San Diego Freeway

traffic trying to exit at Bristol Street under northbound traffic merging

onto the San Diego Freeway from the Costa Mesa Freeway.

2. New Anton Boulevard onramp to the northbound San Diego Freeway: A

new onramp being built through the existing bean fields on the Segerstrom

Home Ranch property but not linked to the Home Ranch project. Designed to

relieve the traffic at the Bristol Street onramp.

3. New Avenue of the Art offramp to the northbound San Diego Freeway:

Also designed to alleviate Bristol Street traffic.

4. Widening of the existing Bristol Street offramp from the northbound

San Diego Freeway: Designed to accommodate more traffic and ease the flow

exiting the freeway.

5. New Fairview Road offramp off the Corona del Mar Freeway.

6. New Harbor Boulevard offramp off the Corona del Mar Freeway.

7. New Hyland Avenue onramp to the northbound San Diego Freeway.

8. Two new carpool lanes in both directions of the San Diego Freeway.

9. Two new carpool lanes in both directions of the Corona del Mar

Freeway.