State Route 55/Newport Blvd. Improvement

Overview

The City of Costa Mesa (City) has identified congestion on State Route 55 (SR-55)/Newport Boulevard as a significant quality of life issue for adjacent residential and business communities. As a result, the City requested that the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) together with its partner agencies, the cities of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, study alternative improvements to the extension of the Costa Mesa Freeway. This study will analyze and identify potential transportation improvements for SR-55/Newport Boulevard, between the end of the Costa Mesa freeway at 19th Street and Industrial Way.

In 2008, OCTA, at the request of the City, completed the SR-55 Access Study. That study analyzed seven conceptual alternatives and recommended four scenarios for further analysis. This new phase of the study will do just that: further analyze and refine the four alternative scenarios. At this time, there is no funding identified for future improvements in this area. However, by moving this study forward and identifying viable alternatives, if funding does become available in the future, viable alternatives will be ready for development.

Looking Forward

Traffic congestion at the end of the Costa Mesa Freeway is caused by both local and regional commuters. Most SR-55 drivers live in the area or travel there to visit local businesses on or near Newport Boulevard. At the terminus of the Costa Mesa Freeway, at 19th Street, close to 100,000 vehicles pass through this area on a daily basis, and these volumes are projected to grow in the future.

Study Schedule

Project Fact Sheet  

Contact

To learn more about the SR-55/Newport Boulevard Improvement Study, visit www.octa.net/55study or contact Sarah Swensson, OCTA Senior Community Relations Specialist, at (714) 560-5376, sswensson@octa.net.