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Resolution No. 2025-xx Page 1 of 3
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-xx
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA,
CALIFORNIA, REQUESTING THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION TO IMPLEMENT PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ALONG NEWPORT BOULEVARD (SR-55) IN THE CITY OF COSTA MESA
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA DOES HEREBY FIND AND DECLARE AS FOLLOWS:
WHEREAS, Costa Mesa Freeway (State Route (SR) – 55) currently terminates at 19th Street and continues south through Downtown Costa Mesa as Newport Boulevard; and
WHEREAS, Newport Boulevard south of 19th Street is under the jurisdiction of the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans); and WHEREAS, Newport Boulevard creates significant barriers to bicycle and pedestrian access in Downtown Costa Mesa; and
WHEREAS, there have been three pedestrian fatalities on Newport Boulevard between 19th Street and Industrial Way between 2021 and 2023; and WHEREAS, Caltrans is currently embarking on a SR -55 Improvement Project between SR-1 in Newport Beach and SR-91 in Anaheim; and WHEREAS, the current Caltrans project includes limited measures aimed at addressing pedestrian and bicycle safety needs; and
WHEREAS, the City of Costa Mesa staff and community desires inclusion of several additional safety features listed in attached Exhibit A.
NOW, THEREFORE , THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
Caltrans should prioritize pedestrian and bicycle safety in Downtown Costa Mesa.
Caltrans should take immediate steps to incorporate measures identified in Exhibit A to address pedestrian and bicycle safety in Downtown Costa Mesa as part of the current project.
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Resolution No. 2025-xx Page 2 of 3
Caltrans should engage with the City of Costa Mesa on a routine basis to review and address traffic safety concerns of pedestrians and bicyclists in Downtown Costa Mesa.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 15th day of July, 2025.
_____________________________
John Stephens, Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
________________________ _____________________________ Brenda Green, City Clerk Kimberly Hall Barlow, City Attorney ATTACHMENT 1
Resolution No. 2025-xx Page 3 of 3
THIS PAGE IS RESERVED FOR CITY CLERK’S OFFICE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss
CITY OF COSTA MESA )
I, BRENDA GREEN, City Clerk of the City of Costa Mesa, DO HEREBY CERTIFY that the above and foregoing is t he original of Resolution No. 2025-xx and was duly passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Costa Mesa at a regular meeting held on the 15th day of July, 2025, by the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereby set my hand and affixed the seal of the City of Costa Mesa this 15th day of July, 2025.
________________________
Brenda Green, City Clerk
EXHIBIT A
The following additional safety features desired by the City of Costa Mesa staff and community should be considered by Caltrans as part of current SR-55 project:
• Installation of Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs) with supplemental No Right -Turn blankout signs.
• Installation of passive pedestrian detection to supplement push button use (e.g., pedestrian video camera detection).
• Inclusion of advance stop bars at crosswalks.
• Provision of quick build (striping) or permanent (concrete) curb extensions where feasible to reduce pedestrian crosswalk crossing distances across Newport Boulevard or across cross-streets.
• Installation of additional lighting along corridor and at crosswalks for improved pedestrian visibility.
• Provision of a new crosswalk at the Newport Boulevard/Rochester Street -18 th Street
intersection north leg.
• Provision of a new crosswalk at the Newport Boulevard/Harbor Boulevard intersection south leg.
• Reduction of travel lane widths to reduce pedestrian exposure in crosswalks, manage speeding behavior, and other engineering countermeasures. • Provision of refuge islands that extend the median past the crosswalk for reduced pedestrian exposure (e.g., Newport Boulevard/Harbor Boulevard north leg). • Potential for installation of high visibility crosswalks. • Addition of speed limit signs and stencils reminding motorists of the posted speed limits.
• Consideration of additional posted speed limit reductions consistent with Assembly Bill 43 (AB 43) which provides greater flexibility based on recommendations the Zero Traffic Fatality Task Force made in January 2020.
• Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) features to reduce potential conflicts (e.g., extended yellow for dilemma zone issues, delayed green for unfinished pedestrian crossings).
• Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technologies to alert motorists of potential conflicts and enhance safety of vulnerable road users.
• Traffic signal timing modifications to manage speeding behavior customized for time- of-day conditions (e.g., late night with minor cross-street traffic). • Other safety corridor improvements and features to address traveler safety.