LOS ALAMITOS : OCTA Aid Is Sought to Help Traffic Flow

City officials are asking for about $575,000 from the Orange County Transportation Authority to pay for four proposed projects intended to increase traffic flow on some of the city’s busiest streets.

One of the proposed projects, approved by the City Council this week, is the widening of Los Alamitos Boulevard at Katella Avenue, one of the most congested city intersections.

Victor Rollinger, the city’s public services director and engineer, said the city is seeking $67,000 to be used for engineering designs to widen the intersection.

Traffic flow is still adequate during peak hours, but the intersection would be severely congested in 15 years unless it is widened, Rollinger said.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $450,000, he added.

The widening plan is separate from the proposed Katella “smart street” project, which would also involve improvements to the intersection, he said.

“It can work together,” Rollinger said. “We’ll make sure that whatever we do now, won’t be undone later.”

City officials have requested $400,000 for traffic light improvements along Ball Road from Bloomfield Street to Holder Street; $100,000 for the widening of the Cerritos Avenue/Los Alamitos Boulevard intersection, and $10,000 for improvements on the Katella Avenue/Bloomfield intersection.

Rollinger said he expects OCTA to respond to the request “in the next few months.”