Sounding Off: Let’s ‘trade spaces’ for awhile

Since the Caltrans/City “paving” project is so darned “stimulating” for our city officials and Caltrans “” and so truly unhealthy, nerve-wracking and downright dangerous for we residents living close to Coast Highway “” I’d like to propose a new approach.

Several years ago, “Trading Spaces” was a top TV design show. For a weekend, two sets of neighbors, friends, etc. “traded spaces,” working with a design team demolishing then renovating a room in the others’ house.

Once completed, people were brought back and shown their newly remodeled room. With all of the road and other demolition that our city officials have forced us to endure for the past several years, particularly in South Laguna, I believe that this should be our new renovation plan.

Beginning Sept. 8 (with the Caltrans repaving project) all of our esteemed city officials and their families, Caltrans officials, construction company managers, supervisors, etc. should begin “trading spaces” with the residents along Coast Highway while this “enhancement” construction is going on.

We’ll go live in their homes during the construction, and they can live in ours. That way, they can be “hands on” 24/7, especially from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. to appropriately manage this project.

Then, once Coast Highway is completely dug out, repaved, and slurry-coated (for at least the third time in two years in South Laguna), we’ll trade back”¦and just see the new, pretty results. After enduring one or two nightmare Coast Highway rehabs, one hopes our officials will gain a new perspective and be far less inclined to tell us to “take a hit” for the city.

Caltrans’ justification for this Coast Highway project is that heavy use by locals, commuters, public transit and cyclists has created safety hazards. Frankly, I question the research.

Public transit has actually lightened the load, but the incredible increase in building has deluged us with fully loaded construction trucks, caterpillars, cranes, et al.

Perhaps the city, Caltrans, utilities and private building can find a way to better coordinate their efforts so that duplication, digging up of newly laid road, etc. is eliminated or at least kept to a minimum.

For instance, in the Ruby’s, Nyes Place area, Caltrans is supposed to add a new southbound left turn at Nyes.

Is this being coordinated along with the repave? St. Catherine Catholic School plans to dig out part of their hill and add a sidewalk.

Can this be completed during the repave, or do we have to endure yet another Coast Highway closure?

When, by the way, is the St. Catherine’s project going to end? When our officials approved it “” upon the heels of the Nyes sewer project from hell “” they promised that it would be done quickly and with little impact.

Are they serious?

It is way past deadline and has been a nightmare with constant noise, construction trucks parked everywhere (blocking driveways, roads, and the emergency left turn lanes), Coast Highway lane closures and choking dust everywhere (added to the sewer and tar gunk).

Seriously, for anyone else severely affected by this repave, I have spoken to Tracy Lavelle at Caltrans and Steve May from the city of Laguna Beach.

To accommodate business, there will be construction from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. No work will occur from 3 p.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Sunday.

Caltrans will be doing “outreach” over the next few weeks.

There are funds in this $1.8-million dollar project for reasonable accommodations if needed, so ask Caltrans about your circumstances. Whether construction is beginning in the north or south end of town is still to be determined.

According to Steve May, most of us down south should only be seriously impacted for “a few days.”

Once the beginning schedule is finalized, we will know more about when each of us is being affected.

JOANNE SUTCH lives in Laguna Beach.