TUSTIN : Residents Concerned Over Plans for Street

A county proposal to turn Irvine Boulevard into a six-lane super-street has residents living along the thoroughfare concerned about the safety of schoolchildren.

A group of about 150 people calling themselves Voters Opposing the Widening of Irvine Boulevard asked the City Council on Monday to take a more active role in planning for the project. The county is the lead agency for the project, but VOW members said the officials there are not addressing their concerns.

Group spokeswoman Paula Massimino said VOW was formed after the county failed to notify many the residents along Irvine Boulevard of a public hearing on the proposed widening.

To make matters worse, Massimino said, during a meeting in July, county officials responded to residents’ concerns with vague answers.

According to the plans, the proposed project would include a stretch of Irvine Boulevard extending from the Costa Mesa Freeway to Tustin Ranch Road. The street would be expanded largely by removing on-street parking, said City Engineer Bob Ledendecker. He said another stretch of Irvine Boulevard east of Red Hill Avenue would be further expanded beyond the on-street parking.

Residents are concerned that the increased traffic from the widening will have a negative impact on their neighborhoods and the value of their homes. “Already it is difficult for individuals to get in and out of their driveways,” Massimino said.

Additionally, the widening is expected to swallow up parking and bike lanes along Irvine Boulevard, leaving little more than a curb and some gutter space between pedestrians walking along the sidewalk and traffic.

One resident, Jane Portera, said her children used to walk along Irvine Boulevard to get to school. However, she said the route will become a hazard when the road is widened.

“You are talking about 55- to 60-m.p.h. traffic going along next to children walking to school,” Portera said.

Furthermore, parents said, more children are likely to be walking to school in the future because of a recent decision by Tustin Unified School District officials to begin charging for bus service.

“Some kid is going to be walking down that narrow sidewalk at the wrong time and there is going to be nowhere to run,” Portera said.

Despite their concerns, VOW members said they are not trying to halt the widening. They said they want to make project officials more sensitive to the needs of the surrounding community.