Save Newport Real News in Newport Beach
It has been a welcome change to have the construction on PCH to have been temporarily halted during the summertime– but all that is coming to an end tomorrow.
On Tuesday September 8th, construction will begin once again on the beautiful PCH, and will continue at least until Memorial Day 2016, where they will once again stop for the summertime traffic.
So far, the project is $32m into a $38m budget– so budget overruns well into the millions are virtually inevitable, although officials from OCSD remain adamant that they will finish within the $38m current budget. If they do, I will eat my words. 🙂
Some of you may remember that I advocated for solutions which would reduce this time by about 20%– before the project even began. Officials at that time estimated that the project would last only until the beginning of Summer, 2015 (this year). However, now it looks like finishing in the beginning of Summer in 2016 (next year) will be the “best case scenario”.
So, what are they actually doing, anyway? They are replacing old sewage lines– a much-needed replacement, even if the management of the project has been embarrassingly terrible, sometimes severing gas pipes and creating gas leaks multiple times per week or even cutting out power to traffic signals.
While this continues, many residents are bypassing the traffic by taking Cliff Drive or even the interstate system. For your convenience, our traffic system is updated in real-time and can help you plan your trips on a daily basis, regardless of when you depart.
Businesses on the stretch will continue to suffer through the off-season, so if you are able to make a trip down to give them some business, they would definitely appreciate it!
