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4-28-03 Update from Rick Dayton Irvine Avenue Widening Sub-Committee Re: Irvine Avenue Widening Project Status Update 1. On 4/7/03, Steve Badum, Newport Beach Public Works Director, met with staff members of the County Roadway Division, including Ted Rigoni. Both Badum and Rigoni came away from that meeting with the following preliminary understanding (preliminary in that another meeting is scheduled to take place in May to finalize): a. The widening project, if it occurs at all, will occur only at the northerly segment between Bristol Street and Mesa Drive. b. The County will review the costs involved with the widening project, including: 1. The determination of whether right-of-way acquisition will be required. 2. What impacts a right turn lane from southbound Irvine to westbound Mesa Drive will have on that corner. 3. What other infrastructure improvements need to be dovetailed into this project. c. The County will also study the costs of doing alternate scenarios, such as only doing curb, gutter, and sidewalk work where needed in the northerly segment. d. No widening will occur between Mesa Drive and University Drive for the following reasons: 1. Purchase of private property would be very expensive and there may not be sufficient Measure M funds to cover it. 2. There is significant community opposition to this part of the project. 3. At this time the traffic numbers do not warrant the widening between Mesa and University. Recent traffic numbers have actually decreased, ostensibly due to the opening of a new 55/73 loop. 4. Unless University/Del Mar is also widened per the Master Plan of Arterial Highways (MPAH), widening of Irvine between Mesa and University serves no purpose. The City of Costa Mesa is not in favor of widening University/Del Mar at this time. According to Mr. Badum, at some point the Master Plan may need to be re-studied to see if perhaps Mesa Drive may be a better east-west arterial than University/Del Mar. 5. There may be some “operational improvements” at the intersections of Irvine and Mesa, and Irvine and University, in the form of better turning lanes and corner radii. No right-of-way acquisition would be required for this work. 2.If the northerly segment widening does occur, the City of Newport Beach would like to see landscaping planted in the raised median.The County, according to Mr. Badum, is not looking favorably at installing this landscaping. Mr. Rigoni indicated that median landscaping is not something that Measure M funds could be used for. PAC in the past has requested of the County that street improvements be undertaken in the northerly segment. There has been a request that the stockpile area to the west of the golf course and just to the north of Mesa Drive and east of Irvine Avenue be removed. There have been requests to install sidewalk, curbs, and gutters adjacent to the golf course at Bristol Street and Irvine Avenue. And there have been requests for median landscaping on Irvine Avenue. These are projects that PAC and the community should continue to lobby for. 3.Concerned citizens of the community have signed several petitions against the widening of Irvine Avenue between Mesa Drive and University Drive. In the light of this recent news, these petitions will not be sent to the City and County at this time. The petitions will be held in case they are needed at a later date. 4. Mr. and Mrs. Warren Caves, the owners of the Montessori School at the northwest corner of Irvine and University, recently received a letter from Mr. Kenneth R. Smith, Director of Public Works/Chief Engineer for the County. In the letter Mr. Smith basically stated that the widening project could not be justified and was on hold indefinitely. |
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