As Freeway Widens, So Will Orange’s Meats Avenue Bridge

The city has worked out a deal with Caltrans for the state agency to enlarge the Meats Avenue bridge in Orange from two to four lanes while the Costa Mesa Freeway is widened.

And city officials assured mobile home owners who live near the bridge that their property will not be threatened by the project.

The bridge widening is separate from any other work that eventually might involve the seizure of property by the state, said Roger Hohnbaum, a city engineer, during a City Council meeting this week.

Any taking of private land would involve detailed environmental reports and public hearings, he added.

The state Department of Transportation has had to destroy a number of local bridges while widening the freeway, after which the crossings are rebuilt to their original width, according to state policy.

But city officials decided to take advantage of the changes and negotiated with Caltrans to widen the Meats Avenue bridge. A similar deal was worked out with the Katella Avenue onramp.

The city will have to chip in $2.4 million for the work, which is down from the $4.1 million originally demanded by Caltrans, public works officials said.