Save Newport Real News in Newport Beach
At Tuesday night’s town hall with Diane Dixon, it was revealed that the road work on PCH would not be completed this fall, as originally planned. In fact, it was stated that if they encounter absolutely perfect conditions and no more unknowns/surprises, that this will finish up towards the end of spring, next year. So do yourself a favor and get familiar with the backroads, because we’ll need to use them.
The original estimate for this project was nine months, with the project finishing in July of this year. As I outlined in the DailyPilot before the project even started, there were ways we could both shrink this timeline by about 20% and also have it done without affecting local businesses nearly as much as they are being affected. Now, the estimate has ballooned from a finish date of July of this year to a finish date of– AT BEST– this time next year.
This is exceptionally poor leadership, especially from those in office since the beginning of construction. The typical response of shrugging ones shoulders and whimpering a defeated “what can we do?” is not a display of leadership qualities. We need our leaders to take this horse by the reins and do something productive– Also known as: Doing what they were elected to do.
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Please read below to find excerpts from a recent city release regarding the present state of construction:
Westbound Coast Highway traffic will be down to one lane and the southbound Newport Boulevard ramp to Coast Highway will be closed except during peak weekday traffic hours, between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., through the end of the month. Weekend work will continue during all hours and the reduced traffic lanes on westbound Coast Highway and the southbound Newport Boulevard ramp closure will be in effect. Vehicles should detour to Hospital Road, then to Superior Avenue to access Coast Highway as shown here and on the map below.
Starting the week of March 23, westbound Coast Highway travel lanes between Superior Avenue and Prospect Street will be reduced from three lanes to two, and temporary concrete barriers will be placed for this operation. This change will last for the next couple of months.
All traffic lanes are still planned to be restored by Memorial Day, if not shortly thereafter, to allow Coast Highway to be fully reopened during the busy summer months. The contractor will return again in the fall to accomplish the second phase of the project.
OCSD thanks the community for its continued patience during this very difficult project. For the most current project information and updates that may impact to your commute, please contact OCSD’s Newport Beach Program Community Liaison on the Construction Hotline at (714) 679-2088.
