Marina del Rey : County Studying Bypass Routes

The county Board of Supervisors has directed the Public Works Department to establish an assessment district to finance construction of a four-lane bypass to relieve traffic congestion in Marina del Rey.

Under a plan approved by the board, the county would pay 33% of the cost, Marina del Rey Lessees, a group of developers, would pay 61% and Summa Corp., which plans to build the massive Playa Vista project, would pay 5%. The cost was not immediately available.

The California Coastal Commission has determined that the bypass is needed to ease traffic on Lincoln Boulevard between the Marina Freeway (90) and Washington Street, said Ted Reed, director of the county Department of Beaches and Harbors.

Under the Marina del Rey/Ballona land-use plan approved Dec. 9 by the Coastal Commission, the bypass must be completed before new development can take place in Marina del Rey, Reed said in his January report to the county Small Craft Harbor Commission. The exact route for the bypass has not been decided but four alternatives are being studied by the county, Reed said.