City begins Westside street renovation

Deirdre Newman

City officials heralded the start of a $6-million project to renovate

19th Street and Placentia and Anaheim avenues at a ceremonial

groundbreaking Thursday that didn’t please every resident quite as

much.

The project includes taking out the existing pavement and

reconstructing it; reconstructing damaged curbs and gutters,

driveways and sidewalks; and putting in aesthetic improvements in the

form of median islands and planters, which will be placed in areas

between the sidewalk curb and private properties on 19th Street.

City Councilman Mike Scheafer touted the project as a key part of

the effort to improve the Westside -- utilities have already been put

underground and decorative lights have been installed on 19th Street.

“For those of us who live here and used to pedal our Sting-Ray

bikes to Lions Park, we see this as an integral part of the

neighborhood,” Scheafer said during the ceremony at the Costa Mesa

Senior Center.

But some Westside residents were disappointed that what they

consider routine maintenance warranted a groundbreaking “event” and

said the renovation is extremely overdue.

“It’s so rough, we joke that you need an SUV to travel it,”

resident Christian Eric said.

Public Services Director Bill Morris agreed that the renovation is

overdue. But there’s good reason for that, he said: The city felt it

would be best to move the utilities underground before it started

ripping out the pavement.

“It takes between three to four years from inception to completion

of the undergrounding, which we had to do first because we didn’t

want to repave it, then tear it out,” Morris said. “We’re trying to

best manage the various elements of the project.”

The limits of the project area are Placentia Avenue, from the

southerly city limits to Wilson Street; 19th Street from Park Avenue

to Anaheim Avenue; and on Anaheim Avenue from 19th Street to Plumer

Street. Construction is scheduled to begin July 21 and is anticipated

to be done within eight months. The new, improved pavement should

last for about 40 to 50 years, Morris said.

The city will continue its use of rubberized asphalt to repave the

streets. Although it is more expensive up front, it requires less

maintenance and minimizes the sound of traffic, City Manager Allan

Roeder said.

Resident Mike Berry lauded the city’s use of this kind of asphalt.

“It’s more flexible, so it doesn’t crack and doesn’t need to be

fixed as often,” Berry said.

The project also includes moving the driveway of the Senior Center

from its current location to the northeastern side of the parking

lot. Senior Center Director Aviva Goelman said the relocation is

something she requested 2 1/2 years ago. Moving the driveway is

necessary because now drivers use it to cut across the parking lot to

Plumer Street instead of waiting for the light at 19th Street and

Pomona Street, making it dangerous for the seniors, she said.

A bus turnout will be put in where the current driveway is now,

which will ease traffic on 19th Street by enabling buses to pull out

of the normal lanes, Roeder said.