Orange County transportation officials on Monday, April 10, approved nearly $35 million in funding from the county’s half-cent transportation sales tax for 18 projects aimed at widening busy roads and synchronizing traffic signals.
The Orange County Transportation Authority board also unanimously approved Measure M funds for the cities of Anaheim, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Orange and San Clemente.
Among the 13 widening projects are Warner Avenue from Main Street to Orange Avenue in Santa Ana, Lincoln Avenue from East to Evergreen streets in Anaheim and the intersection of University and Ridgeline drives in Irvine. Bear Street in Costa Mesa and four other projects were awarded funds for signal synchronization.
“This is just bread and butter OCTA stuff, this is great to see,” OCTA board chairman Michael Hennessey said.
In August, the OCTA issued a call for projects for about $32 million for the Regional Capacity Program that provides funding for capital improvements to congested streets, roads, intersections and interchanges, and $8 million for the Regional Traffic Signal Synchronization Program, which funds multi-jurisdictional signal projects along county streets.
In October, OCTA received 16 applications for the capacity program and staff recommended 13 projects — eight for intersection improvements and five for street widening — for $32.2 million in total funds. All five applicants for the synchronization program adding up to $2.5 million and involving 85 signals were accepted, and the remaining money will be rolled over for the call for projects to be awarded in 2018.
The staff recommendations passed unanimously, and OCTA board member Lori Donchak drew attention to the Ortega Highway project “being an important next step in south county mobility programs.”
Some street/intersection projects awarded funds:
$14,278,770: Orange County’s Cow Camp Road Construction
$8,586,900: Warner Avenue improvements from Main Street to Orange Avenue in Santa Ana
$1,950,000: Orange County’s Ortega Highway widening improvements
$1,724,024: University and Ridgeline drives intersection improvement in Irvine
$1,167,244: Bristol Street and Memory Lane intersection improvements in Santa Ana
Five projects awarded funds for traffic signal synchronization:
$917,280: 19 signals at Gilbert and Idaho streets in Fullerton
$515,656: 20 signals at Olympiad and Felipe roads in Mission Viejo
$494,752: 14 signals on Bear Street in Costa Mesa
$378,166: 29 signals on Irvine Boulevard in Irvine
$192,686: 5 signals at Camino Vera Cruz in San Clemente