Unjam Costa Mesa Traffic

Costa Mesa Mayor Gary Monahan summed up the status of the interchange between the San Diego and Costa Mesa freeways recently when he declared it “a phenomenal mess.” Motorists who daily try to navigate this confluence in the environs of the South Coast Plaza shopping and commercial areas no doubt have their own descriptions of driving on the edge.

Plans to improve the situation are on the drawing board. For the final go-ahead, the city had to come up with the money, and to its credit, it did. It’s an example of regional and local government working to get important transportation improvements moving.

This month, the Costa Mesa City Council voted to contribute nearly $8 million of the necessary $20 million to add offramps and an onramp to the San Diego Freeway. A companion project will provide links between the carpool lanes on both freeways.

The council’s vote overrode doubts about whether Costa Mesa would come up with the money. The bulk of the funds will be generated by new businesses to pay for traffic they generate. The city also has lined up nearly $9 million in federal and county funds for construction.

The overseer of a procession of major freeway projects in the county in recent years is the Orange County Transportation Authority. It deserves credit for putting pressure on Costa Mesa to help finance an improvement in roads around the South Coast metro area. The city’s manager said funds also were available for other roadwork.

It is clear that the freeways have become a problem as new office buildings and shopping centers have sprung up in Costa Mesa. New ones are planned, adding even more traffic.

Keeping pace with development by improving Orange County’s freeways is vital as more cars hit the pavement each year. The improvements at the interchange are an important component of preparing main arteries in the area to meet future demand.