NEWPORT BEACH : Residents Say It’s Time to Raise Bridge

A group of West Newport Beach residents on Tuesday urged that the Newport Boulevard bridge leading to the peninsula be raised as well as widened.

During a public hearing on the widening proposal, being considered by the Coast Guard, some residents said they believed that if changes are going to be made, the bridge should also be raised to allow their boats to pass under it without problems.

Craig Willford, an attorney representing the Citizens’ West Channel Bridge Committee, said, “The bridge already needs raising, and now is the best time since we are making such a major modification to it.”

Harold G. Polley, who has lived along the West Newport channel for 31 years, also stressed the need to raise the bridge.

“A 50-year-old bridge is not adequate for 1990,” he said.

The application presented to the Coast Guard by Caltrans and the city of Newport Beach would widen the bridge, first built in 1936, by 29 feet. A third northbound traffic lane and wider bicycle-pedestrian access would be added.

The widening would not affect the clearance for boats passing under the bridge, however.

John Walter, principal civil engineer for the city, said that increasing the height by 4 or 5 feet would add up to $5 million to the project. He said that “the funds are tight and the clearance is OK.”

If the Coast Guard doesn’t approve the application as is, an amended application will have to be resubmitted and the funds now allocated for the widening will be gone, according to Paul Gonzales of Caltrans. He cautioned that it could take 10 years for the reapplication to be approved and the funds to again become available.

Mayor Ruthelyn Plummer said: “In order to raise the bridge, we need to rebuild it. The council voted not to go ahead with a new bridge two or three years ago because of the cost.”

More than 60,000 vehicles a day travel over the Newport Boulevard bridge and 400 youngsters ride their bikes or walk over it on their way to and from school. During the summer months, those numbers greatly increase.

After a series of public hearings on the plan are completed, the Coast Guard will evaluate its findings and make a recommendation to Coast Guard officials in Washington, who will either approve or deny the city’s application. If approved, work is scheduled to begin in September and take about eight months to complete.