The planets are aligning for a brutal summer of traffic in Laguna Beach, and here’s why.
Caltrans is redoing the sidewalks along the entire stretch of Coast Highway. Some of the sections are done, but we’re talking from Ledroit Street in the north to Ruby Street in the south, which is basically most of Laguna.
You’ve probably already been caught in its wake, and it’s not fun. Caltrans workers end at 4 p.m. every day, but as you know, commuter traffic starts about 1 p.m. So it’s a minimum three hours of gridlock. Add to that the approaching summer crowd, and we will not leave our houses (again).
Allegedly, they won’t work past Memorial Day, but will it really matter?
Caltrans is also planning on replacing the traffic signal at the intersection of Coast Highway and Broadway. They want to add a dedicated left turn arrow, so no more turning on a basic green light. Apparently, it was too dangerous. No specific ETA but sometime this year.
Also, the light at Cress Street will undergo some safety changes.
Of course, there’s also the continuing Caltrans work in the far canyon, which will frustrate everyone coming and going.
Separately, the city has various undergrounding projects going on, including some on Coast Highway.
Aside from the improvement projects, there will be the slow, steady exhaust of more cars from Irvine. New housing construction continues throughout Irvine and the adjacent cities, making Laguna the most popular beach on the planet.
So if you’ve ever thought about getting one of those e-bikes, now might be a good time.
