Jeffrey Road Underpass Construction Project - Flooding

After little more than 1-inch of rain, this $42 million or more brand-new roadway and underpass is now flooded and blocked.

During the December storms, the roadway was flooded and blocked for weeks (see picture). The same "FLOODED" sign is out there again today (See picture No. 2).

Large ponds of water in the roadway are surely not safe for motorists.

For $42 million, why did the residents of Irvine get a new roadway that floods in every rainfall? There appears to be a large flood drain at the bottom of the underpass, but it's not working. A pond is standing there. Was there any pumping system installed to prevent flooding? If there was, it certainly is not working. Did the contractor SEMA have in its contract any requirement that the roadway NOT flood? In other words, was there a performance specification of any kind?

The residents of the City and the 35,000 motorists who use the underpass daily are entitled to answers.

Jeffrey Road Underpass Construction Project - A Continuing Disaster

The Jeffrey Road Underpass Construction Project is a continuing disaster. This $42 million taxpayer funded project is over budget by more than $10 million, and it continues to threaten the lives, safety and property of nearby residents and citizens.

Just a few days ago, one of the contractors broke an electrical line and deprived residents of The Meadows of electrical power for several hours. Details are sketchy, and the Orange County Register ignored the episode, but anyone with a medical device or telephone operated by electricity or using the Internet lost all service for some period of time.

Contractors are continually shutting down the roadway for various periods of time. After months of clearance, the west sidewalk on Jeffrey Road was closed today (see pictures) and the concrete being dug up. Two lanes of south-bound traffic were closed. We were forced to ride our bicycle in the traffic lane, and we personally observed a worker escorting a young woman around the blockage using the traffic lane. Our wheel-chair using neighbors have been unable to use the street or sidewalk, a condition that persists today.

The bicycle lane from Jeffrey Road up to the main Walnut Bicycle Path was re-opened several months ago. It has now been closed apparently at the whim of the City and whatever contractor is putting in irrigation pipes.

The project was started in early 2008 and was due to be completed year end 2009. That got extended to December 2010, and now the City's website says it will be finished in June of 2011 - 18 months late. The City's website does not detail this delay or give any reason for it. http://www.ci.irvine.ca.us/mm/road_construction/roadConstruction.htm (click on the hardhat for the new date). Of note is that the City's website no longer references either the original cost or the new, inflated $42 million cost.