Local News in Brief : Laguna Beach : Panel OKs Compromise on Laguna Canyon Road

The Orange County Transportation Commission has approved a compromise proposal to increase the safety of Laguna Canyon Road, which has been the scene of numerous traffic accidents over the years.

Under the proposal, approved this week, two extra police officers would be hired by Laguna Beach to patrol Laguna Canyon Road and several improvements would be made to the road.

The improvements would include installation of a traffic signal at the Canyon Acres Drive intersection, new signs that are easier to see and read, work on the road’s drainage system and steeper banking at the Big Bend curve.

If the Laguna Beach City Council agrees with the accident-prevention strategy, it will begin in January. Cost of the improvements is estimated at $250,000, to be paid mostly by the California Department of Transportation.

City Manager Kenneth C. Frank said the city will pay the $30,000 cost of the new traffic signal. After the improvements have been in place for two years, he said, the city will pick up the cost of the increased police patrol, about $100,000 annually.

The Laguna Beach City Council is expected to approve the proposal Aug. 16, Frank said.

The Transportation Commission also approved plans to hire a mediator in case improvements that may be needed in the future are attacked on environmental grounds.

The city and Caltrans have long been at loggerheads over how to improve the safety of the road, and environmentalists have opposed Caltrans’ efforts to widen it. Last month the California Coastal Commission approved interim measures to improve the road’s safety. A consultant will be appointed to study the effectiveness of the interim steps and report on them at the end of one year.

The Coastal Commission also stipulated that there would be no further discussions about widening Laguna Canyon Road until the consultant’s review is completed.