Freeway Work Driving Neighbors Crazy

Construction work on the Santa Ana Freeway through a stretch of Anaheim has been a 24-hour nightmare for some homeowners on Illinois Street.

“It’s like a dust bowl these days,” resident Richard Lowe said.

With the freeway work taking place night and day next to homes, the dust, vibration and noise from backhoes, jackhammers and other heavy equipment have been nerve-racking.

“Every morning, you wake up to grinding and the beep-beep-beep of the tractors,” resident Donna Dreher, 50, said. “Come live here and you’ll know the hell we’ve been through. No freeway is worth it.”

Some homeowners have had damage to their homes, including cracks in walls, ceilings, fireplaces, patios and showers. A backhoe took out part of Irene Minnick’s fence. Crews have torn up streets to install sewer lines and storm drains, limiting access to the neighborhood and taking away parking in front of houses.

The thick dust that whips up outside collects inside on windowsills, blinds, curtains and floors. Keeping a car clean is impossible, residents said. Contributing to the dust problem is the fact that the city isn’t sweeping neighborhood streets, said Lowe, 53.

But Dallas DeCock, 83, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1951, shrugged off the work as progress. “It’s a necessary thing, and there’s no use in crabbing about it,” she said.

Work on the $1.1-billion project through Orange, Anaheim, Fullerton and Buena Park began in December 1996. Improvements include carpool lanes and upgrades to ramps.

In the neighborhoods around Illinois, work has been going on for about a year and won’t be finished for at least another year.

Completion of the entire project is scheduled for December 2000.

Caltrans officials said they have received numerous complaints from residents and business owners along the 9 1/2-mile stretch of freeway construction.

“We cannot avoid the dirt and dust that’s produced,” said Dave Simpson, a Caltrans community liaison. But Simpson said Caltrans is taking measures to minimize some of the side effects.

Watering and dry street sweeping are done to reduce the dust. Too much watering, however, can add to the problem, since it can turn dust into dirt, Simpson said.

He added that discount coupons for carwashes are available for residents and business owners.