2 public meetings set in Costa Mesa to discuss upcoming reconstruction of Fairview Road bridge over 405

The Orange County Transportation Authority will hold a pair of public meetings in Costa Mesa over the next two weekends to discuss the planned demolition and reconstruction of the Fairview Road bridge over the 405 Freeway as part of a larger project to widen the freeway.

The first meeting will run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Paularino Elementary School, 1060 Paularino Ave. It will include opportunities to learn more about the project and ask questions of the OCTA outreach team.

The second meeting is set for the same time Jan. 26 at Wakeham Park, 3400 Smalley Road.

The Fairview bridge will be torn down and rebuilt in two stages, possibly beginning next month. It will largely remain open to traffic during construction, though intermittent closures may be necessary to accommodate night work, according to OCTA.

“Traffic is expected to shift onto the west side of the bridge in early February in anticipation of the demolition of the east side of the bridge, which is scheduled for late February or early March,” OCTA representative Megan Abba wrote in an email Thursday. “Once the east side of the bridge is reconstructed, traffic will shift over to that side to allow crews to demolish and reconstruct the west side.”

The project is expected to take up to 24 months, she said. The reconstructed bridge will still have 10 traffic lanes, but OCTA plans to widen the existing sidewalks and bicycle lanes and install a 4-foot-wide painted median.

The work on the Fairview bridge is part of a $1.9-billion plan to expand 16 miles of the 405 between the 73 Freeway in Costa Mesa and the 605 Freeway near Rossmoor.

Once that project is completed in 2023, both directions of the freeway in that stretch will have an additional general-purpose lane and a new “express” toll lane, according to OCTA. The current carpool lane in each direction will be converted to an express lane.

For more information, visit octa.net/405improvement.