Traffic alert: Pipeline work resumes soon on Newport’s Mariner’s Mile

Following a short summer hiatus, Newport Beach drivers will see construction popping up along West Coast Highway after Labor Day.

The Orange County Sanitation District is set to resume its repairing of underground sewer lines.

The Newport Force Main Rehabilitation project is replacing two aging sewer lines that begin at Dover Drive and extend a quarter-mile past Superior Avenue along a section of West Coast Highway known as Mariner’s Mile.

The first phase of the project, from September to May, replaced the line under the south side of the street east of Newport Boulevard.

The second phase, which will focus on repairing and replacing the pipeline under the north side of West Coast Highway as well as the one under the west side of Newport Boulevard, is set to begin next month. Construction is expected to be completed by May.

The 70-year-old pipes take sewage from Newport Beach and adjacent communities to a Huntington Beach plant that treats about 200 million gallons of sewage each day.

Newport Public Works Director Dave Webb said that while the construction can be frustrating to commuters, it’s necessary.

City and sanitation district officials have noted a 1981 sewage spill resulting from a broken pipe along West Coast Highway as an example of why the work needs to be done. At the time, the highway was flooded with millions of gallons of raw sewage that made it to the waterline.

“These repairs help to ensure that we’re not going to have a system failure that results in major sewage spills that can run into the bay,” Webb said.

During the first phase of the repairs this year, the project became a sore subject for residents who were inconvenienced by construction setbacks and worse-than-usual traffic along Mariner’s Mile, which often was reduced to one lane in places.

A contractor for the sanitation district accidentally ruptured gas lines twice in four days in January, causing long traffic delays. In February, crews working on the sewer line accidentally cut power to a traffic signal, which took hours to remedy.

Also during the first phase, crews discovered unexpected items underground, including large pieces of wood and concrete that are believed to be remnants of a 100-year-old train system or an old bridge.

That finding in March caused a delay, and crews worked around the clock to the get project back on schedule, officials said.

Since the second phase requires less underground work, fewer traffic problems are expected, said sanitation district spokeswoman Jennifer Cabral.

“We appreciate patience from the community at large,” Cabral said. “The impact today is temporary, and when we’re finished, the community will have brand-new infrastructure that will last 50-plus years.”

A community meeting to discuss the project will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Cliff Park Community Room, 301 Riverside Ave.