NEWPORT BEACH : 2 Blocks of Balboa Boulevard to Get Complete Overhaul

A $900,000 plan to improve drainage on a troublesome strip of Balboa Boulevard will include beautification of the two-block stretch as well.

The City Council approved the plan Monday without discussion. The section of the boulevard between 12th and 14th streets will get a complete overhaul of sidewalks, medians, storm drains and public landscaping.

“Almost every time that you have had a pretty consistent rain, you have a pretty large puddle out there--roughly a block and a half long,” said Public Works Director Don Webb.

The project will also include installation of a gated storm drain outlet to prevent saltwater backwash in high tides.

“You have some areas in the street that are almost as low as high tides, so if you don’t have a gate that will close off the flow, the saltwater will wash back into the street,” Webb said.

The City Council action authorizes Webb to seek bids on the job, which an outside engineer has estimated will cost $900,000.

The present island-type median will be replaced with a new one dotted with planters. Some trees will be removed and replaced with palm and New Zealand Christmas trees.

The projected completion date is in September, but Webb has agreed to do the strip from 13th to 14th street during the summer school break to avoid disrupting school activities. A wider sidewalk and adjacent access ramps in front of the school are also part of the plan.

The contract calls for keeping two lanes of the boulevard open in each direction on weekends and holidays--a concession to merchants who feared that construction would hurt business during peak summer months, Webb aid.