Infrastructure Priorities

Cities across Orange County face millions of dollars in mounting maintenance costs ranging from cracked sidewalks to crumbling roads to aging sewer lines. Some agencies are struggling with how to pay for the repairs, which become more difficult and costly the longer they are left undone. Here is a breakdown of some of the spending and capital maintenance/improvement priorities:

City: Anaheim

Projects:

* $4 million to $5 million in each of the next five years on street reconstruction

* Water system will receive $7.5 million in upgrades this year, part of a five-year, $47.5-million plan

City: Brea

Projects:

* $3.6 million for capital projects, including improvements to a local reservoir

City: Buena Park

Projects:

* $4 million on capital projects, with a quarter of that going to water line and sewer improvements

City: Costa Mesa

Projects:

* $1.1 million for storm drain improvements and repair of aging streets, curbs and gutters

* About $500,000 for new sidewalks and $100,000 for alley repairs

City: Cypress

Projects:

* $1.6 million for street repairs, $950,000 on storm drains, $100,000 on sidewalks, $100,000 on sewers and $100,000 on parks

* $400,000 maintenance backlog in sidewalk repair work

City: Dana Point

Projects:

* About $2.5 million on capital maintenance, repairing sidewalks, resurfacing streets and improving parks

City: Fountain Valley

Projects:

* $1.2 million to redrill damaged well; $6.6 million for upkeep of residential streets

* About $600,000 for cleaning and repairing storm drains

City: Fullerton

Projects:

* About $14.6 million is spent annually on capital maintenance; city has backlog in sidewalk, street, building and park repairs and maintenance

City: Garden Grove

Projects:

* $1 million on traffic signal improvements, $2.1 million on interchange improvements, $950,000 on storm drain work, $800,000 on other street improvements, $850,000 on traffic medians and $200,000 on gutters

City: Huntington Beachvl,-1l * $6.3 million on emergency infrastructure repairs, including sewers and streets; $400,000 to replace roof at City Hall

* Over the next 20 years, sewers need $140 million in improvements, streets $26 million, sidewalks and curbs $20 million and pier buildings $1 million

City: Irvine

Projects:

* $7.2 million on various capital improvements

City: Laguna Beach

Projects:

* $1.2 million for storm drain construction; $350,000 for beach stair repairs

* Storm drains needed in several areas of South Laguna

City: Laguna Hills

Projects:

* $3 million on streets, signals and lighting; $50,000 on storm drain repairs

City: Laguna Niguel

Projects:

* $2.5 million for street improvements, $1.7 million on neighborhood parks and $1.1 million on storm drain improvements

* Planning to eventually widen Street of the Golden Lantern from Aloma Avenue to Sardina

City: La Habra

Projects:

* About $11 million in capital improvements, including $3.8 million for streets, $722,000 for railroad-crossing upgrades, $500,000 for arterial streets and $173,000 for sidewalks

* $644,000 on water system improvements and $758,000 on sewer systems

City: Lake Forest

Projects:

* $3.9 million on capital improvements; about $1.1 million for repairs and upgrades to parks

City: La Palma

Projects:

* $515,000 for slurry-coating streets citywide

* Repairs to residential streets

City: Los Alamitos

Projects:

* Resurfacing Katella Avenue from Lexington Drive to Siboney Street and Bloomfield Street between Katella Avenue and the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way

* Planning to build restrooms at Little Cottonwood Park

City: Mission Viejo

Projects:

* $2.3 million on intersection improvements along Alicia Parkway, Muirlands Boulevard, Oso Parkway, Marguerite Parkway and Jeronimo Road

* About $2.8 million on various improvements to Olympiad Park, Camino Largo Park and a Park-and-Ride lot

City: Newport Beach

Projects:

* $23.4 million for capital project improvements

* In 1993 the city approved a 15-year program to upgrade street lights from incandescent lamps to sodium vapor lamps. Budget constraints have limited spending to $250,000 annually instead of planned $750,000

* About $4.5 million for street repair projects

City: Orange

Projects:

* About $18 million on capital projects, mostly for street resurfacing and maintenance

* $2 million to $3 million in backlogged street repairs; $23 million to expand storm drains

City: Placentia

Projects:

* About $3.2 million on capital projects, a third of it for street repair and reconstruction

* Various additional street projects

City: San Clemente

Projects:

* $5 million to $6 million to repair 60 miles of streets

* $2 million to finish replacing an old water reservoir with one seven times larger

* $3 million to $4 million over two years to enlarge four major sewer pump stations, upgrade and replace pipelines

City: San Juan Capistrano

Projects:

* $375,000 to better monitor and control the water system

City: Santa Ana

Projects:

* Variety of widening projects including Fairview, 17th and Bristol streets and Warner Avenue

* Additional funds slated for curb, gutter and sidewalk repairs and resurfacing various neighborhood streets

* Repair several storm drains

City: Seal Beach

Projects:

* About $300,000 to rebuild Main Street parking lot, including resurfacing and adding parking meters

* Preparing to replace Marina Drive bridge across the San Gabriel River

City: Stanton

Projects:

* About $1 million in storm drain improvements, mostly under Cerritos Avenue; $770,000 on sewer repairs at Western, Rose and Katella avenues

* Curb, gutter and sidewalk repairs for Cerritos and Magnolia avenues as well as Court, Sycamore and Acacia streets

City: Tustin

Projects:

* Improving three reservoirs: Simon Ranch (new roof), Foothill (retaining wall) and Rawlings (roof)

City: Villa Park

Projects:

* $958,000 on various capital maintenance and improvements

City: Westminster

Projects:

* $8.6 million in street projects over 10 years; officials expect to fall $2.3 million short in funding

* $1.9 million in park projects needed over next 10 years, but park fund will have only $658,655

* Variety of street improvements and resurfacing including Westminster Boulevard, Hazard Avenue and Bouchard Street

City: Yorba Linda

Projects:

* About $3 million for maintenance, including street repair, storm drain improvements, traffic signal and street lamp upkeep, landscape and building maintenance

* Build several underground drains, including one along Yorba Linda Boulevard to Buena Vista Avenue

Source: Individual cities; Researched by JOHN CANALIS, CHRISTINE CASTRO, STEVE CARNEY, CHRIS CEBALLOS, LINN GROVES, JASON KANDEL, JAMES MEIER, HARRISON SHEPPARD and LESLEY WRIGHT / For The Times