In order to get that kind of money, grants would need to come in from the federal government, and the government’s process for applying for grants requires a lot of extensive studying that takes time, OCTA officials said.
During the OCTA presentation to the council, City Councilwoman Katrina Foley lambasted the organization for bogging itself down in what she considered unnecessary bureaucracy. She wants to direct city staff to tell OCTA that Costa Mesa’s preferred plan is the tunnel.
“We want to just get moving with it,” Foley said.
At tonight’s meeting, the council will have another chance to discuss the report among its members and determine whether it’s going to accept its findings or try to redirect the effort by proposing another solution to the problem that was not mentioned in the report.
Newport Beach City Council members also recently met with OCTA officials about the study. They had a lot of questions about the plans but aren’t ready to take a position, Mayor Ed Selich said.
“The biggest question in the minds of our council is what will you do to disperse the traffic at the end of the 55,” Selich said.
The council wants to make sure it isn’t just a matter of shifting the traffic jams from one place to another, he added.
The Costa Mesa City Council will also consider Tuesday whether to ask the OCTA to fund the next phase of the process, which would be to do a full environmental impact report on the four alternatives still in the running. These include doing nothing at all, making minor adjustments like synchronizing traffic lights, making more significant adjustments like short bridges at trouble intersections or extending the freeway underground.
ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.
