Repaving of Sunflower Should Start This Year

A long-awaited repaving and revamping of Sunflower Avenue between Bear Street and Harbor Boulevard should get underway this year, officials said.

The city is the lead agency on the $2.6-million improvement project being co-funded by the city of Santa Ana and developer C.J. Segerstrom & Sons. Costa Mesa and Santa Ana share the right of way on Bear, which serves as the border between them, and the developer owns land along the roadway.

Costa Mesa is to pick up more of the project cost, about $1.3 million, since a greater portion of the repair area is within its borders. Santa Ana is spending about $400,000, while Segerstrom is contributing $816,000. Voter-approved Measure M sales tax dollars will fund portions of the work.

“The spirit of cooperation between the property owner and the two cities is a way to get the work done in a timely manner,” Costa Mesa Councilman Joe Erickson said.

Specific plans include repairing potholes, widening certain stretches for bike lanes and repaving a surface that has fallen into disrepair since it was built on farmland between 1968 and 1979. Concrete medians are planned, and rubberized matting will be placed on the roadway at the Southern Pacific Railroad crossing to make going over the tracks less bumpy.

“We are going to do a complete rehabilitation of the street to make it the major entry point to the city that it is,” Erickson said. “It’s the gateway to some of the really outstanding businesses that have moved to Costa Mesa.”

The Costa Mesa City Council approved a cooperative agreement with the other parties involved in the project on Monday.

Before the street improvements begin--more than likely in mid-summer--the city plans to put utility lines along Sunflower underground, said William Morris, Costa Mesa’s director of public services. That work is expected to get underway in about two months.