Transit Agency Paves the Way for a Smoother Ride

By GEOFF BOUCHER

Aug. 25, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Cracked, pocked and worn-out roads from Stanton to San Clemente will benefit in the next two years from $57 million in renovations, one of the largest single pavement improvement projects for Orange County’s heavily traveled city streets.

In all, 114 trouble spots in 30 cities will be renovated under the massive package of projects approved Monday by the Orange County Transportation Authority. The board of directors approved $22.4 million for the work, a sum that will more than double when matching funds are kicked in by individual cities.

“It’s the largest amount invested locally for pavement rehabilitation in memory, certainly,” said Paul Rodriguez, a senior transportation analyst with OCTA.

Anaheim has the most projects with 18--four of them along its busy, buckling Lincoln Avenue. Santa Ana is second, with 11 projects, most for pavement problems on Grand Avenue, Fairview Street and Warner Avenue.

The project will include every Orange County city except Laguna Beach, where civic leaders opted not to apply for any of the federal funds available through OCTA.

Across the county, cities spend about $60 million a year in their battle with potholes and pavement cracks, Rodriguez said.

Typically, OCTA chips in $7 million annually, but the package of projects approved Monday will see the agency spend more than $11 million in each of the next two years, Rodriguez said.

That big investment will result in a smoother commute for drivers on Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton, Red Hill Avenue in Tustin, Edinger Avenue in Westminster, Brookhurst Street in Garden Grove and scores of other major arteries.

But even $57 million won’t buy drivers a ride without bumps and dips.

A study completed earlier this year found that it would take a staggering $340 million to overcome the county’s backlog in the area of pavement maintenance and an additional $530 million to handle all the repairs needed on local roads, OCTA records show.

And some drivers probably won’t be thrilled to see more construction cones blocking their way as city crews roll out their bulldozers and pavers for all the new projects. In Anaheim, for instance, many major streets are already narrowed by barricades for local roadwork in addition to handling diverted traffic from a huge Interstate 5 renovation.

Those detours and delays, expected to continue for two years, will only worsen when the new projects kick in on Lincoln Avenue, Ball Road, Brookhurst Street, Magnolia Avenue and other major streets.

“There is certainly a lot going on, and it’s a difficult balance between improvements and minimizing the disruption,” said Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly, a member of the OCTA board. “The good news is the projects [underway] are on schedule and on budget. We intend to keep pushing forward to repair and beautify our streets. . . . It’s always good news when you can fix roads, even if it complicates things for a while.”

For commuters such as Perry Andrus, the infusion of big money into street work is welcome. The Costa Mesa resident, who works in Santa Ana as a computer programmer, said he often zigzags across lanes and straddles street-marking lines to dodge potholes and crumbling asphalt.

“I know that’s not real safe, but on some of these streets if you’re flying along and hit a bad spot, you can really do a number on your suspension and alignment,” Andrus said. “I’m really happy to hear they’re doing that much work.”

That happiness was diluted, though, when Andrus learned that his nominee for the worst street on his route--Dyer Road in Santa Ana, just west of the Costa Mesa Freeway--did not make the list for improvements.

“You’re kidding! It’s awful there, just the worst,” Andrus said. “But I’m sure other drivers think they’re driving on the worst.”

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Paving the Way

A $22-million road improvement project was approved Monday to fix potholes, cracked asphalt and other road problems in 114 sites across the county. The 10 sites among the most heavily traveled trouble spots:

(1) Orangethorpe Avenue (Western Avenue to Stanton Avenue in Buena Park)

Average number of cars daily: 57,554

(2) Fairview Road (Baker Street to Monitor Way in Costa Mesa)

Average number of cars daily: 48,106

(3) Brookhurst Street (Chapman Avenue to Lampson Avenue in Garden Grove)

Average number of cars daily: 45,890

(4) Ball Road (Sunkist Street to State College Boulevard in Anaheim)

Average number of cars daily: 41,200

(5) Harbor Boulevard (Warner Avenue to MacArthur Boulevard in Santa Ana)

Average number of cars daily: 41,088

(6) El Toro Road (Paseo de Valencia to Avenida de la Carlota in Laguna Hills)

Average number of cars daily: 41,041