Work Begins on PCH Overpass
Construction has begun on a $2-million pedestrian bridge that will connect the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway with the beach near downtown Huntington Beach.
The overpass, between Beach Boulevard and Huntington Street, will provide a crossing for guests and visitors to the 519-room Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, which is scheduled to open in January. The bridge is scheduled to be completed at the end of June, said Steve Bone, managing partner of Hyatt Regency.
The Hyatt is being built west of the Waterfront Hilton Beach Resort and will include a 100,000-square-foot conference center. There are plans for a third hotel between the Hyatt and the Hilton.
“This is the new Huntington Beach in some regards,” said Rich Barnard, a city spokesman. “These projects are changing the nature of the city. We went from an agriculture town to an oil town and now to a visitor-serving and tourist town.”
Not everyone is happy with the new look. Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook thinks the bridge could be a blight.
“I respect the wide-open nature of our beaches, and I’m opposed to anything that would detract from that,” Cook said.
The elevated walkway will lead to a 35-foot concrete structure resembling a lighthouse. It will include an elevator for wheelchair access to and from the beach.
Construction of the bridge, which is being financed by the Hyatt Corp., forced the partial closure of Pacific Coast Highway early Thursday. Another overnight closure is planned in May.
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