Santa Ana : Access Improved to Transportation Center

Work is continuing on $1-million road-construction projects that will widen 1st Street and improve access to the Regional Transportation Center, scheduled to open next month.

Railroad tracks on Santiago Street have been removed and pavement will replace the dirt half of the road between Santa Ana Boulevard and Washington Street at a cost of $397,181. The project is expected to take about three months.

City engineer Robert Eichblatt said the construction is intended to make travel to the new transportation center easier. Street lights, sidewalks and trees are also planned.

The $15-million center is scheduled to open Sept. 7. Project manager Jon Stevens said the interior is almost complete and Santa Fe Railway crews just finished installing tracks. The new center will replace the aging Amtrak rail station on 4th Street and will also be a hub for local and long-distance bus service.

The federal government is contributing about $2 million, the state is putting up about $4.5 million and the city will pay for the rest. About 500,000 people a year are expected to use the center.

In another project, 1st Street will be widened to three lanes in each direction from the Santa Ana River to the Newport Freeway. Eichblatt said no work will be done during the morning and afternoon rush hours and at least one lane will remain open at all times.

The $631,034 project also calls for construction of sidewalks, curbs and gutters and the planting of trees along the route. Completion is expected in about four months.