Costa Mesa’s plan for raised medians on stretch of Harbor Boulevard raises eyebrows at meeting
About 30 people turned out to Costa Mesa’s Neighborhood Community Center on Tuesday night to hear details of a city proposal to enhance the empty median on a stretch of Harbor Boulevard.
After more than an hour of discussion, though, it was clear that many of those in attendance didn’t see the idea of building raised landscaped medians on Harbor between Wilson and 19th streets as much of an improvement.
The proposed medians would provide an aesthetic upgrade, said city Transportation Services Manager Raja Sethuraman. Such medians are already in place on Harbor north of Wilson.
“It does definitely help in improving the streetscape of this whole corridor,” Sethuraman said Tuesday.
There also are safety considerations, he added, noting there have been 84 traffic collisions during the past five years along that nearly 1-mile stretch of the boulevard.
Raised medians wouldn’t prevent all types of accidents, he said, but likely would reduce them by limiting where cars can make left turns and generally slowing traffic in the area.
Many people at the meeting, though, said they were worried that putting in medians would slow the flow of customers to local businesses.
The raised medians would take away the ability to make left-hand turns to some businesses along the stretch of Harbor, which could make it too difficult to get to those shops, some speakers said. Drivers would have to make U-turns or otherwise alter their routes.
“There hasn’t been enough work done as far as analysis,” said Raul Jara, owner of Roberto’s Auto Trim at 2033 Harbor Blvd. “It almost seems like they’re shoving it down our throats and saying ‘Take it and like it.’”
Sometimes the line of cars waiting in left-turn pockets along Harbor will stretch into the existing striped median. Building a raised median, some speakers said, would cause vehicles to back up into other lanes on Harbor, potentially snarling traffic.
Other attendees wondered whether Costa Mesa would be better served by spending money to tackle homelessness or crime instead of on a median.
The project is expected to cost about $1 million, Sethuraman said, with about half of that coming from a grant.
Sethuraman said the city has studied traffic flow in the area and worked to accommodate access for busier properties.
The city is firming up the median design and is likely nine months to a year away from finalizing construction plans and putting the project out for bid, Sethuraman said.
The plan had been for members of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission to discuss the project at their meeting Aug. 25, but Sethuraman said Wednesday that that hearing will be delayed so city staff members can have more time to evaluate the issues raised at Tuesday’s meeting.
“We want to make sure that when we do these medians, we design them correctly,” he said.
Another public meeting similar to Tuesday’s likely will be scheduled in coming months, he said.
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
