Laguna Beach : Canyon Road Project’s Impact ‘Significant’

The proposed widening and realigning of Laguna Canyon Road--California 133--will have a significant impact on the area between Canyon Acres Drive and El Toro Road, according to a draft of a Caltrans environmental impact statement.

Construction, scheduled for 1988, would remove 2 million cubic yards of material and 60 acres of existing habitat, the draft statement said.

The statement, which will be submitted to the federal government when final, does not kill the $11.4-million project designed to make the roadway safer, according to Caltrans spokeswoman Felicia Archer.

“There’s a significant impact, but there’s also a major need,” she said. “We have to hold a public hearing to find out what the public thinks should be the priority.”

The draft of the report is available at Laguna Beach City Hall and the Orange County branch library in Laguna Beach. Members of the public can make written responses to Caltrans until Oct. 10 and can make oral comments at a 7 p.m. public hearing Sept. 30 at City Hall. Caltrans officials will be available an hour before the hearing to review plans for alternate routes.