Traffic jam

An underground tunnel at 19th Street and an elevated freeway down the middle of Newport Boulevard are among the Orange County Transportation Authority’s possible solutions to Costa Mesa’s 55 Freeway congestion problem.

The authority’s findings, presented during a City Council study session Tuesday, examined as many as eight possibilities aimed at alleviating traffic in Costa Mesa’s downtown, where as many as 100,000 cars pass through Newport Boulevard via the freeway’s terminus.

In the short term, the city will add a lane to Newport Boulevard, said Transportation Manager Peter Naghavi.

“That would take care of us for about seven to 10 years,” he said. “But we are concerned about mitigating traffic in the long-term and want to look at all the possibilities aiming to provide for future transportation needs, while protecting neighborhood residences and businesses.”

Other proposals included adding freeway exits and moving its terminus to 16th Street, or examining how to improve congestion under the current grid.

“These eight alternatives really span what we term to be the simple solutions that can be accomplished rather quickly, with low cost and minimal effects,” said Tony Petros of LSA Associates, the consultant team for the project.

Consultants and Mayor Eric Bever emphasized the study remained in its extremely preliminary stages and that the process would take a number of years — undergoing an extensive review process — before any of the ideas were implemented.

Still, many residents want more outreach from the city and county as the planning continues.

Daniel Pietenpol, who owns five buildings on Newport Boulevard, said he learned about the session only on Tuesday after reading the newspaper.

“I’d like to see more outreach, some consideration of the cost — not just construction, but what will happen to sales tax, jobs,” he said. “There’s a lot of revenue coming to the city from downtown.

“I’d also like to see Newport Beach be a part of this,” he added. “If 40-50% of the traffic is through traffic to Hoag Hospital and [Pacific Coast Highway], why shouldn’t it extend to PCH?”

Councilwomen Linda Dixon and Katrina Foley also expressed frustration at being left out of the loop.