TITLE:
title
RESOLUTION FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ALONG NEWPORT BOULEVARD (SR-55) SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CITY OF COSTA MESA
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DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT/ENGINEERING DIVISION
PRESENTED BY: RAJA SETHURAMAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
CONTACT INFORMATION: PAUL MARTIN, P.E., TRANSPORTATION SERVICES MANAGER (714) 754-5343
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council approve Resolution (2025-xx) requesting the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to implement safety improvements along Newport Boulevard (State Route (SR) -55) in the City of Costa Mesa.
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BACKGROUND:
Costa Mesa Freeway (SR-55) currently terminates at 19th Street and continues south through Downtown Costa Mesa as Newport Boulevard. This major arterial, under the jurisdiction of Caltrans, while providing for regional transportation needs for vehicular traffic, creates significant barriers for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Therefore, crashes along Newport Boulevard often involve vulnerable roadway users such as people walking and bicycling. Between 2021 and 2023, there have been three pedestrian fatalities along Newport Boulevard between the limits of 19th Street and Industrial Way.
ANALYSIS:
Caltrans recently initiated a project (12-OR32UR) with plans to construct improvements along SR-55 between SR-1 (Pacific Coast Highway) in Newport Beach and SR-91 in Anaheim. In January 2023, Caltrans facilitated a public meeting with invitations sent to members of the Costa Mesa community regarding this project. During the meeting, the community requested Caltrans to consider more aggressive treatments for improving safety along Newport Boulevard, including separated bicycle lanes as well as additional pedestrian treatments. Following this meeting, Caltrans conducted a feasibility analysis and determined that separated bicycle lanes were infeasible and did not include them in the design plans. The Caltrans project included limited imp...
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