San Gabriel Valley : Arcadia Beautification Is Behind Schedule

Arcadia city officials say their $6-million downtown revitalization project will not be finished by Oct. 4, when thousands of cars will descend upon the city’s main thoroughfare for the annual Oak Tree racing season at Santa Anita Park.

An ongoing strike by project engineers has left Huntington Drive with a single lane of traffic in each direction, a narrow sidewalk--and a bevy of distressed merchants who say they are sorry they ever supported the project, which was touted as a way to attract customers.

Arcadia City Manager William R. Kelly said the city will put on hold much of the beautification plan, which is already five weeks behind schedule, and instead will simply seek to restore the road to four lanes.