Newport Beach installing methods to slow traffic

Construction of new medians and narrowing of streets to slow traffic in Newport Heights will begin by the end of the month and finish in August, Newport Beach city traffic engineer Tony Brine said.

The first median and narrowing projects, about $117,000, will take place on 15th Street, St. Andrews Road and Cliff Drive. They are intended to slow cars down, and they will be followed by other projects that have yet to be determined. Brine said the $200,000 in this year’s budget for traffic calming will pay for more work in Newport Heights, Cliffhaven and other parts of the city.

While measures to slow or discourage traffic can sometimes annoy residents as much as they deter cut-through drivers, Brine said the Newport Heights’ measures were drawn up at residents’ request and discussed at several community meetings.

— Alicia Robinson