Crown Valley Parkway: Work Not in Progress

Finally, rain hit Southern California, and there’s no bigger celebration than the one in city hall. Someone else might sulk over stormy days, but not Mark Chagnon, mismanager of the Crown Valley widening project. After three years of decent weather nearly every day, Chagnon finally has an excuse for lack of progress on the road. From his memo to city officials last week: “Most of the delay is attributable to lost working days due to rain.”

After three years of worsening drought, Chagnon has evidently perfected his rain dance. Rain has “delayed the project,” and Chagnon is off the hook. Never mind that traffic has barely moved on Crown Valley since 2006.

Residents’ common observation is that the road isn’t finished because no one is ever working on it. By the end of the second year that lanes were shut down for no apparent reason, the city reported that it was SDG&E’s fault. However, the staff made the mistake of allowing SDG&E’s representative to speak at a council meeting, and he blew the city’s cover. The city claimed that the utility company was negligent in moving its “boxes” in a timely manner. SDG&E answered that it had never been contacted by the city until shortly before being invited to the council meeting.

Here’s another gem from Chagnon: “ … we understand the huge desire to have this project completed once and for all, and we certainly share that desire. That being said, however, the landscaping is very important. Especially given the duration of the project, the finished product has to look exceptional. … There have been some minor changes and adjustments adding time to the project, but ultimately, they will be worth the extra time.”

Nonfunctional pillars costing $10,000 each, walls the color of cow dung and “shrubbing up” the roadside are not worth the wait. The widening project has been a colossal failure, mismanaged from the beginning and exasperating for drivers. The city will next tear up Oso Parkway, and residents should expect more of the same.