The city has taken some short-term plans to alleviate the problem, including the addition of new lanes on the north and southbound portions of Newport Boulevard, though a long-term solution has yet to be seriously articulated, said Director of Public Services Peter Naghavi.
LSA representative Tony Petros repeatedly said the plans put forth by his firm were simply preliminary, and that the meeting was intended to elicit community input about which proposals should be further examined.
He cited one such plan, the widening of Newport Boulevard to a 10-to-12-lane road, as one that his staff assumed would be quickly rejected by residents.
“That might be unpalatable to those who live or have a business along that corridor,” he said. “We’re offering some of these ideas to rule them out.”
“We want to hear whether you like [the ideas] or don’t like [them],” said Costa Mesa Councilman and OCTA board member Allan Mansoor. “The reason we want to look at every idea is so that further down the road, if someone says, ‘Why didn’t you look at this concept or that concept,’ we can say, ‘This is why we didn’t like it,’ or ‘This is why we liked it.’”
The proposals were explained on posters throughout the room, and attendees were encouraged to place a red or green sticker depending on whether or not they thought the proposals were worth consideration.
Among the least favored were plans to, as Petros predicted, expand Newport Boulevard by several lanes, and extend the 55 Freeway on a raised median down Newport Boulevard.
Most favored by residents was a plan to extend the freeway through an underground tunnel that would end at Industrial Way.
