City, Caltrans Hope Coast Is Clear for Plastic Sound Wall

Caltrans and the city of Newport Beach next month will propose to the California Coastal Commission that a plexiglass sound wall be built along Coast Highway from Highland Street just south of the Santa Ana River to 60th Street.

But the project is likely to meet strong opposition from residents who say the wall would get dirty and interfere with their ocean views.

Under the Caltrans and city proposal, the half-mile-long wall would be 7 feet tall. The top 4 feet would be made of lexan, a tough plastic material used in bus shelters and commercial airliner windows. The cost of the wall would be about $375,000.

Expansion Project

The wall is part of an $8-million Caltrans project to expand Coast Highway from five to six lanes from Highland Street to Newport Boulevard. Under federal and state law, builders are required to mitigate noise increases and other environmental impacts caused by the expansion.

Caltrans last month proposed a 10-foot cinder-block sound wall along the half-mile strip. But the Coastal Commission, the state agency in charge of overseeing development along the coast, turned down the project after residents complained that the wall would obstruct their views.

The see-through wall is “an attempt to reconcile the need for an expansion of the highway with the residents’ concerns,” said Sid Elick, deputy director of project development for Caltrans.

Residents, however, oppose any kind of expansion, said Ninfa O’Brien, who heads the 434-member Newport Shores Community Organization.

“The wall will get dirty and prevent us from seeing the sand and the surf. Also, the pillars that hold the wall together will obstruct our view. We plan to fight this all the way,” O’Brien said.

Under the proposal, the city of Newport Beach would be responsible for cleaning the wall. “We have looked at similar walls, and it’s not too difficult to keep them clean,” said Don Simpson, special projects director for the city.

Wayne Woodruff, assistant district director for the Coastal Commission, agreed. “I don’t see (the walls getting dirty) as much of a problem,” he said. “People can still see through dirty windows, and it’s very easy for a person to take a little hose and squirt the dirt off.

“I would think that the new proposal will be more agreeable (to residents).”

The city and Caltrans will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Newport Beach City Hall to explain the project and present samples of the plexiglass for public scrutiny.