Newport Beach mulls ways to ease congestion from the 55

There seem to be no perfect options for reducing the traffic bottleneck where the 55 Freeway ends in Newport Beach. But the Daily Pilot reports that at a recent Orange County Transportation Authority public forum, the expensive idea of taking the expressway underground got some support. Other ideas went nowhere:

While OCTA says 100,000 vehicles use Newport Boulevard every day, residents at the meeting cited Caltrans as saying 180,000 vehicles use the thoroughfare. OCTA estimates its number could increase by 15% as early as 2030. The city has taken some short-term plans to alleviate the problem, including the addition of new lanes on the north- and southbound portions of Newport Boulevard, though a long-term solution has yet to be seriously articulated, said Director of Public Services Peter Naghavi. Tony Petros [of LSA Associates, the firm contracted to develop plans to ease the congestion,] repeatedly said the plans put forth by his firm were simply preliminary, and that the meeting was intended to elicit community input about which proposals should be further examined. He cited one such plan, the widening of Newport Boulevard to a 10- to 12-lane road, as one that his staff assumed would be quickly rejected by residents.