City of Costa Mesa
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The list below shows Transportation Projects currently in progress. Please check back often as this list will be updated periodically
2024 Engineering & Traffic Survey (E&TS) Update
The Public Works Department/Transportation Services Division completed an update to the City’s Engineering and Traffic Survey (E&TS) within the City of Costa Mesa in September 2024. The E&TS is a study that legally establishes speed limits based on the procedures and requirements set forth in the California Vehicle Code (CVC) and the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD). The E&TS includes results of field inventories, radar samplings of speeds, traffic volumes, data analysis, and recommended speed limits for each roadway section. The E&TS evaluated the speed limits on 137 roadway segments and recommended that the speed limits on 76 segments be decreased.
The California Assembly Bill No. 43 (AB 43) which was signed into law in October 2021 resulted in several changes to the CVC that provided local jurisdictions additional flexibility to lower speed limits by introducing additional parameters such as designating safety corridors or locations with high concentrations of pedestrians and bicyclists. These parameters were only made available effective July 2024 and these changes were applied to this recently completed E&TS.
Maintenance Division staff will be replacing speed limit signs on all applicable street segments in the coming weeks. All sign replacements are expected to be completed in mid-December.
These speed limit reductions will benefit all travel modes by improving safety and operations along major corridors and local streets throughout the City. For a complete list of the street segments which will have the speed limit reduced, please see the summary table here.
Adams Avenue at Pinecreek Drive Intersection Improvement Project
The Adams Avenue at Pinecreek Drive Intersection Multimodal Improvements Project (Project) designed and constructed safety and mobility improvements at the intersection of Adams Avenue and Pinecreek Drive in the City of Costa Mesa. The Project improved pedestrian and bicycle safety and access at the intersection on the northern frontage of Orange Coast College (OCC). The Project removed both the eastbound and northbound 'free-right-turn-lanes' to slow right-turning vehicular traffic and improve safety for people walking and biking.
Project elements included new high visibility crosswalks, widened sidewalk/multi-use pathways, a new bus stop on the far side of the intersection, a new crosswalk on the west leg of the intersection, new ADA curb ramps, bicycle ramps, green bicycle conflict striping, new street lighting along the south side of Adams Avenue and traffic signal safety improvements. The Project will integrate with new protected bikeways along Adams Avenue from Harbor Boulevard to Fairview Road which will be completed by Summer 2026. The Project improved pedestrian and bicycle connectivity and accessibility to OCC, enhances safety, and provides better facilities for people walking and biking.
The Project has received three awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers (Orange County & Los Angeles) for the 2025 Outstanding Bikeways and Trails Project and from the Association of California Cities, Orange County, for Transportation Innovation and Mobility Solutions.
Center Street Pedestrian Crossing and Circulation Improvements
There are currently no marked crosswalks to cross Placentia Avenue at Center Street. The nearest crossing of Placentia Avenue is West 19th Street or West 18th Street, located about 400’ and 750’ away, respectively. The Center Street Pedestrian Crossing and Circulation Improvements Project will design new traffic mobility and safety improvements across Placentia Avenue and Center Street. Planned improvements include a sidewalk curb extension, new signs and roadway striping improvements, and pedestrian hybrid signal (HAWK). The City is evaluating options to increase car parking with angled parking stalls by making Center Street a one-way roadway westbound. These potential improvements can enhance the safety and accessibility for pedestrians crossing both Center Street and Placentia Avenue while also providing more car parking.
The Costa Mesa City Council approved funding for project design which will begin in 2026. Construction funding has not yet been secured.
Fairview Road at Belfast Avenue New Traffic Signal
A new traffic signal is planned for construction at the Fairview Road at Belfast Avenue intersection to help facilitate motorist turns to and from Belfast Avenue and provide new pedestrian crosswalks across Fairview Road and Belfast Avenue. Planned improvements also include new Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) curb ramps and accessible pedestrian signal (APS) buttons. The new traffic signal will be timed with the nearby Fairview Road and McCormack Lane intersection traffic signal.
Design is nearly completed, and construction of the new traffic signal is anticipated to start in 2026.
Fairview Road Pedestrian, Bike, and Transit Stop Improvements
The Fairview Road Pedestrian, Bike, and Transit Stop Improvements implemented innovative pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements by repurposing excess motorist travel lanes in a residential neighborhood, new roadway paving, reconstructing curb ramps, bikeway upgrades to Cycle Tracks, a new Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon, the first City bicycle signal, pedestrian refuge islands, and high-visibility crosswalks. The improvements were implemented in Spring 2026 between Newport Boulevard and Fair Drive. The new crossing and Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon strengthens youth and adult crossing of Fairview Road to access College Park Elementary School.
As of Spring 2026, the Project has received two awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers (Orange County) for the 2026 Outstanding Transportation Project and from the American Planning Association, Orange County, for the Transportation Planning category.
Events
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Finance and Pension Advisory Committee Meeting
05/13/2026 4:00 pm
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Special Active Transportation Committee Meeting
05/13/2026 5:00 pm
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Special Finance and Pension Advisory Committee Meeting
05/13/2026 5:00 pm