City Agrees to Fund Brunt of Bridge Study
Hoping to derail a county proposal for two new bridges across the Santa Ana River, the city will pay the bulk of a $200,000 study that will include alternatives to the 40-year-old transportation plan.
Council members agreed to spend $115,000 on the environmental impact study for the proposed bridges linking 19th Street with Banning Avenue in Huntington Beach, and Gisler Avenue with Garfield Avenue on the Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley border.
The Orange County Transportation Authority and other cities are expected to cover the remaining costs. The county has yet to set aside any funds to pay for bridge construction, but Costa Mesa council members said they want the proposal removed from long-range plans.
The study is expected to look at three options: scrapping the bridge proposal, building only one, and constructing a bridge at 17th Street instead.
Costa Mesa residents and businesses have long opposed the county plan, saying the bridges would cause even more traffic congestion for the west side of the city.
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