IRVINE : Newport Unlikely to Back Blocking Bypass

City officials seeking to block construction of a toll-road bypass found little support from Newport Beach on Friday.

Although Newport Beach City Council members agreed to take a vote on the proposed bypass route, they told Irvine officials that they gave unanimous support to the project in a recent closed session.

“There is no change of heart,” Newport Councilman Dennis D. O’Neil said. “Our vote will just make it more of an official record.”

The route would create a toll-free bypass to a 1 1/2-mile section of Newport Coast Drive that is to become part of the San Joaquin Hills toll road. The bypass would connect Newport Coast Drive to Bonita Canyon Road.

Despite angry opposition by Irvine residents, the Irvine City Council approved one of three proposed bypass routes in March. Residents fear that additional traffic and noise could hurt property values and clog campus roads at nearby UC Irvine.

Although council members sympathized with residents, they said the county would withhold more than $1 million a year in transportation funds if a bypass were not approved.

Newport officials say the bypass route will preserve a toll-free link between Irvine and the coast after toll booths are placed on part of Newport Coast Drive. A group of Newport homeowners has filed a lawsuit against plans by the Transportation Corridor Agencies to incorporate part of Newport Coast Drive within the planned toll road.