Who’s afraid of a big bad bridge?

While I am checking in a bit late with regards to this 19th Street

bridge concept, I do have a suggestion. Since all cities involved are

concerned about the traffic impact that such a bridge could create,

how about a compromise? Extend the Costa Mesa Freeway all the way to

Coast Highway and build the bridge.

That could solve the congestion problem at 19th Street, where the

freeway dumps a huge amount of traffic. I’m sure those people who

live in Newport Beach and use the freeway to travel to and from their

homes don’t enjoy sitting in all that traffic on a daily basis any

more than those of us in Costa Mesa do. By the time the freeway would

reach Coast Highway, much of the traffic would have already exited at

17th or 16th streets.

If the bridge were to be built at the same time, it would create

more travel options so that no one transportation artery would be

overused.

L. HOGSETT

Costa Mesa

This letter is in regards to the building of a bridge over the

Santa Ana River in Costa Mesa.

City officials and residents of Costa Mesa should take a look at

the benefits of building such a bridge.

The idea is that by building the bridge, the city of Costa Mesa

would connect directly to the ocean and the state beach. This would

benefit the property owners in the area and prove a useful marketing

tool for businesses, rental properties and home owners.

Additionally, the city has been working on a redevelopment plan

for the Westside. By connecting the area to the ocean, property

values would naturally increase, prompting owners to improve their

properties and thus upgrading the entire area. This increase in

values would, in turn, result in more revenue for the city.

City planners should also look at rezoning to take advantage of

this ocean connection. A relative of mine lives in a lovely trailer

park on Whittier Avenue. Across the street is a large bluff

overlooking the ocean and Catalina. Recently, the city approved

construction of public storage units on this bluff. Had the city had

the foresight, they could have approved new single-family homes with

ocean views. This would have improved the area greatly and given a

jump start to the entire Westside redevelopment project.

Local residents should think about crossing the bridge and

arriving just a quarter mile from the beach. This bridge would

increase their access to the ocean and have a direct impact on the

value and future redevelopment of the area.

A bridge could create the beginning of a “new” and better Westside

Costa Mesa.

ELIZABETH KIRCHNER

Newport Beach