Commission Staff Seen Backing Laguna Canyon Road Widening

Laguna Beach Mayor Dan Kenney said Friday that the California Coastal Commission staff probably will recommend commission approval of a Laguna Canyon Road widening project.

The California Department of Transportation has submitted a proposal that would widen the dangerous two-lane road to four lanes. The highway, which connects Laguna Beach to the San Diego Freeway, has been the scene of a number of fatal accidents over the years.

“It is my understanding that they (commission staff members) apparently will go along with Caltrans’ plan for four lanes,” Kenney said Friday. He added that the staff might also recommend that Caltrans pay for undergrounding utility lines.

The Coastal Commission is scheduled to make a decision on the widening plan at its meeting Feb. 24. Commission approval would enable Caltrans to obtain federal funds to pay for the $14-million project. If the widening plan is approved, it probably would be at least two years before construction began, officials have said.

Jim McGrath, a coastal analyst with the commission, said Friday that the staff’s recommendation would not be released until Thursday. He said Caltrans’ proposal is a significant improvement from one the commission rejected in 1986.

The differences in the two plans include reducing grading from 2.3 million cubic yards of dirt to 530,000; reducing the speed limit from 50 m.p.h. to 45 m.p.h., and installing a raised median.

“I think that if the real purpose is safety, we’ve addressed it in our (council’s) recommendation,” Kenney said, referring to the City Council’s policy that the road should be left as it is and safety measures should be taken, such as installing a center divider and caution lights. “But if the idea is to move more traffic into Laguna Beach, where are you going to move it? There’s nowhere for it to go,” he declared.

Kenney and City Manager Kenneth C. Frank recently met with Coastal Commission staff members in San Francisco to discuss the city’s policy and suggest alternatives to the project.

“I wouldn’t say we were overwhelmingly successful,” Kenney observed.