Widening of Newport Blvd. On Schedule For January

NAGHAVI SAYS WE'RE ON SCHEDULE
When checking with Peter Naghavi, Public Services Director for the City of Costa Mesa, earlier this week he informs me that the approved and funded widening project for Newport Blvd. south of 19th Street is all ready to go. Construction begins on January 9, 2009.

SHORT TERM SOLUTION
You will recall that a new 4th full lane will be installed northbound from 17th Street to 19th Street and a short southbound lane will be installed from 19th Street to Broadway, adjacent to Triangle Square. There will also be a new right turn lane added southbound at 17th Street. These are short-term solutions to one of the busiest stretches of roadway in the county.

MOST WORK TO BE DONE AT NIGHT
Naghavi tells me that most of the work, roughly 80%, will be done at night - 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. - to provide for the least amount of interference with daytime traffic. There will be times when nighttime work doesn't get completed, in which case it will extend past the 6:00 a.m. target.

DOESN'T SOLVE ALL PROBLEMS, BUT IS A START
This is a good step for those of us who live in this end of town. It will not solve the cut-through traffic issues and is not a long-term solution to the crowded condition of Newport Blvd. as it passes through Costa Mesa's Downtown area, but it's a start. And, as is always the case with road construction projects, it will test the patience of all drivers in the area.