Work halts bus service

Marisa O’Neil and Elia Powers

Road construction on 19th Street has suspended bus service, leaving

some seniors who rely upon it temporarily stranded.

An Orange County Transportation Authority bus stop in front of

Bethel Towers, home to many seniors, is closed while the city makes

improvements to the street. The nearest working bus stop is five

blocks away, farther than some are able to walk.

“We know they heavily rely on bus trips,” said Peter Naghavi, city

transportation manager. “We’re very cognizant of that fact.”

Route 55, which normally goes down 19th Street, has been

temporarily rerouted while work continues. The bus route runs from

Newport Beach to Santa Ana.

Naghavi said he has been pushing workers to get that portion of

the project completed as soon as possible, so the bus stop can

reopen.

It’s expected to be ready by June 14, he said.

Until then, seniors who rely on the bus to get to doctor

appointments or to get groceries have to walk five blocks to bus

stops on Placentia Avenue or Harbor Boulevard.

“It’s awful,” said Bev Boling, a volunteer at the Costa Mesa

Senior Center. “Some of these people are on walkers and canes and

crutches. It’s a hardship.”

Boling, who works at the front desk, said she hears complaints

almost every day from Senior Center members and residents who are

affected by the construction.

She said walking near the facility is “nearly impossible” because

of hazards to senior citizens. One of the center’s two entrances has

been blocked off, as well.

Bus service on Pomona Avenue and 18th Street was also stopped

because the streets were not designed to sustain the weight, said

Dennis Johnson, assistant city engineer.

But some of the seniors may be eligible for special bus service

from OCTA, spokesman Michael Litschi said.

They can apply to temporarily use the agency’s ACCESS service,

designed for people with disabilities, he said.

“If someone is unable to get to a normal bus stop, they can use

the ACCESS service,” Litschi said. “It’s possible they could get a

provisional permit.”

It works more like a taxi service with pickup and drop off at

prearranged times and locations.

Approval for the service usually takes two weeks, Litschi said.

But given the situation, they may be able to get the process speeded

up, he said.

Naghavi said he’s explained to the residents he’s spoken to that

the temporary closure is just a part of the city’s improvements in

the area.

“They know what we’re doing,” he said. “They say, ‘We understand;

we just don’t like it.’”