Irvine Ave. construction project to begin soon

Beach-bound traffic on Irvine Avenue will be slowed by a project to relocate a sewer pump station south of Mesa Drive. The work by the Costa Mesa Sanitary District is expected to start in the next two weeks and should take about three months, district manager Rob Hamers said.

Construction equipment will take up part of the right southbound lane. Hamers said drivers should try to avoid the area during the work. Signs will be posted with the sanitary district phone number, (949) 631-1731, for more information about the project.

Once the pump station is moved, the county will begin a $6.5-million, 18-month project to widen Irvine Avenue. That work is likely to start at the end of October and will add one lane in each direction from just south of Mesa Drive to Bristol Street. County officials said detours will be posted, and plans for the work will be mailed to residents of the immediate area before it starts.

— Alicia Robinson