Santa Ana’s Bristol Street has been under construction for more than 30 years – forcing traffic delays that one city official recently said has been part of his life since childhood.
It’s a sentiment shared by many residents in the city where the delays on Bristol have become a running joke in the community.
City Councilman David Penaloza, who is running for state assembly and is now in his late 30s, last week publicly questioned why street repairs in the city take forever during a discussion on widening Warner Avenue – a project that was first discussed more than 10 years ago.
“There’s been a lot of concern over the last five plus years now of the delays that we’ve been seeing and experiencing, just like the delays we’ve been seeing on Bristol Street and every other major arterial that’s been under construction in the city for my entire life,” he said at last week’s city council meeting.
The delays cost money in a city projected to face a $19 million budget deficit going into the next fiscal year this summer.
Rodolfo Rosas, acting Public Works director, said a number of factors have caused delays in the Warner Avenue project, blaming what he termed a “terrible contractor” that is now in litigation with the city along with delays from Southern California Edison and communication companies undergrounding utility lines.
Delays on construction projects like the OC Streetcar – spearheaded by the OC Transportation Authority – also have impacted local businesses in Santa Ana, forcing some shops to shutter their doors.
[Read: Controversial Streetcar Forever Changes the Face of Downtown Santa Ana]
The Orange County Grand Jury last year questioned why it took over a decade to build a rail line that stretches just over four miles at a cost of over $156 million per mile, with no clear answer on who will be riding on it.
How Long Does it Take Santa Ana to Improve a Street?
Rosas said officials are moving away from phasing in construction projects to avoid delays.
To view major construction projects in the city, click here.
The Warner Avenue project was first approved by officials in 2015 with the purpose of widening the four lane street to a six lane street between Main Street and Grande Avenue in two phases and funded by grants.
It’s not the only project that’s taken more than a decade to finish.
In 1991, officials approved a 3.9-mile improvement of the Bristol Street Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Bristol Street Corridor Specific Plan.
According to the city’s website, the Bristol project is currently in phase three of five. The final phase has not been funded.
Officials say there are delays in both those projects due to utility poles and they are working with communication companies to get them removed.
Penaloza questioned why the companies were dragging their feet on removing the poles, asking publicly if the city could take legal action to get them to finish their work or take matters into their own hands.
“What is the reason they’re giving us that they can’t remove these poles tomorrow? I mean, would it make more sense for one of our heavy duty Public Works trucks to accidentally back into one and knock them down?” he said.
“It’s a serious question because at this point it’s been years.”
City Manager Alvaro Nuñez said if it wasn’t for the utility companies and state regulations the city could move a lot quicker on street construction, sharing his own frustrations with the delays saying they make city officials look “incompetent.”
“Those levels of delays not only raise costs for us,” he said. “We’re not allowed to finish our projects on time, but we look incompetent, which is even worse.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org.