M is for major road upgrades

Alicia Robinson

Costa Mesa can begin more than $30 million in road improvements, with

about half of the money coming from federal grants and county Measure

M dollars.

The Orange County Transportation Authority on Monday voted to

disburse $218 million for roadwork and other transportation projects

in the county’s 34 cities.

Costa Mesa will receive $16.1 million from the transportation

authority -- the fourth-largest amount granted -- and will match that

amount with local dollars.

Newport Beach’s portion of the transportation authority funding

will be $2.4 million.

This is the last major round of grants from Measure M, the

20-year, half-cent sales tax that expires in 2011.

“We figured with this being almost the last round for money unless

Measure M is reauthorized, we wanted to go for everything we could,”

Costa Mesa transportation manager Peter Naghavi.

The work will include rehabilitation projects on 19th Street,

Baker Street, and Red Hill and Sunflower avenues, but drivers are

likely to see the biggest impact on Newport Boulevard.

Pending approval by the Costa Mesa City Council, the Newport

Boulevard project will add a fourth northbound lane between 17th and

19th streets and a fourth southbound lane from 19th street to

Broadway as well as upgrades to landscaping, sidewalks and street

lighting, Naghavi said.

In Newport Beach, Measure M money will be spent to upgrade traffic

signals on MacArthur Boulevard and on Coast Highway in Corona del

Mar.

The bulk of the funding is federal dollars to fix arterial

highways, and that will go toward replacing pavement on parts of

Jamboree Road, North Bristol Street, Placentia Avenue, Birch Street

and Hospital Road, City Engineer Bill Patapoff said.

The OCTA might seek voter approval to renew Measure M. The

transportation authority’s board could take up the subject in 2006.

Meanwhile, the OCTA is seeking drivers’ input on how and where to

improve traffic. Residents can take a survey online at

https://www.octa.net/extreme/intro.asp, and make suggestions on a new

hotline at (714)560-5900.