IRVINE : Jamboree Road Project in Limbo Due to Strike

A year after the city began an expansion of Jamboree Road to eight lanes from six, the project remains unfinished because of the ongoing strike by heavy-equipment operators.

With no indication of when the strike will end, city officials say they have done their best to shield the $7-million project from water damage when the rainy season begins. The project was delayed for several months last winter because of heavy rains.

Construction workers have put a thin layer of asphalt over the unfinished lanes and have put curbs in by hand to shield the street from runoff, said Barry McClellan, city director of public works.

One of the city’s main thoroughfares, Jamboree Road has been jammed with traffic during peak hours because it had been narrowed down to four lanes during construction. But the city has cleared away construction debris and will keep all six lanes open until the strike is over and the project can be completed, officials said.

The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local No. 12, went on strike after its contract expired July 1, said Jim Keown, vice president of Sully-Miller Contracting Co. in Anaheim, the contractor in charge of the road-widening project.