Laguna weighs whether to move forward with Laguna Canyon Road plans
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Laguna Beach continues to have conversations regarding Laguna Canyon Road, chiefly whether to bring it under city ownership and what to do with it if that happens.
One of three primary pathways in and out of the coastal community — the others being Coast Highway in both directions — the city has shown interest in acquiring the roadway to effectuate changes that would promote, above all, fire safety.
Discussion around improvements in the canyon, including undergrounding utility lines, multi-modal transportation options — bike paths and sidewalks — and traffic calming measures such as crossings and signal enhancements, have been attached to a city effort referred to as Laguna Canyon Road: Protect and Connect.
The debate carried on Tuesday at City Hall, where dozens of residents filled the room for a town hall meeting concerning the future of the thoroughfare.
City Manager Dave Kiff said the city is in the middle of the process with Caltrans regarding the potential relinquishment of the roadway, adding that the city could opt out.
“We are following [the process], and it ends with the California Transportation Commission taking an action to grant the relinquishment, and it also involves the city accepting that relinquishment,” Kiff said during a presentation at the town hall. “We’re not at that point. It involves a negotiated dollar amount, and this dollar amount is something that Caltrans considers to be bringing the road to the state of good repair.”
Laguna Beach took an initial step in 2020 by getting authorization legislation, and it issued a request letter in 2024. The amount that would be given to the city in the case of relinquishment, Kiff said, is about $14.4 million.
Considering the remaining steps ahead, including project approval that would require formal action from the City Council, Kiff said staff estimates that transfer of ownership could come around June 2028.
Following Kiff’s presentation, attendees had 90 minutes to register their comments and questions. In a subsequent city newsletter released Thursday, city officials said staff is preparing responses to issues raised at the meeting. The responses are expected to become available on the project website, lagunabeachcity.net/LCR, within a week.
Another town hall meeting on the subject will be scheduled for October, before the council is asked to consider whether to sign a letter regarding the relinquishment agreement.
Community members opposed to taking over the road expressed concerns over costs, including construction and liability, and unintended consequences.
A city consultant in 2020 estimated the costs to complete the canyon improvements at between $140 million and $150 million. Those projections will likely rise due to inflation.
“I’m OK with don’t do a thing,” resident Pat Menne said. “Personally, if the fire happens, the fire is going to happen. We’re doing our best. We’ve got goats out there, we’ve got Cal Fire, we’ve got the water helicopters. It’s tremendous what we’re trying to do, and so be it, but we cannot as a city take on the liability.”
Some residents called for voters to have a say in whether the project moves forward, and others questioned who would stand to benefit from the installation of a bike lane.
“We didn’t even talk about what’s going to happen if you put everything underground, all the traffic that’s going to cause, the loss of revenue from tourists over those probably five years to get that done,” resident Nick Aronoff said. “Who knows? It sounds like Caltrans is trying to get rid of this because of all the liability, like we’ve mentioned, ‘Oh my gosh. It’s millions of dollars.’
“It sounds like they’re trying to offload this thing, and it’s a toxic asset that they’re trying to sell to the city, who’s going to be the idiot holding the bag. I think a lot of residents have said these things, and I think it’s important to listen to the residents.”
Data provided during the presentation also showed just over half of accidents involving injury on Laguna Canyon Road were related to speeding, while about 10% involved an improper turn or driving or cycling under the influence.
“One possible path is the city signs the state of good repair letter, and we note to Caltrans that we have lots of questions,” Kiff said. “We need more data. We need to see what happens with [Southern California Edison’s targeted undergrounding program]. We need to learn more about our liability exposure, and then we will be sure to take the off ramp if we don’t get our questions answered.”
Kiff noted the city would also continue to review the non-reliquishment alternatives, stressing “the key is to get those poles away from the roadway.”
