Regular patrons of Old Town Tustin should plan for potential traffic delays and temporary road closures beginning in January when construction tied to downtown revitalization and improvement efforts is scheduled to start.
Intermittent lane closures, detoured pedestrian access and temporary loss of parking are expected in areas targeted for redevelopment, including El Camino Real between First Street and Sixth Street and Main Street between Newport Avenue and C Street.
The work will also include upgrades aimed at improving walkability for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“I think it’s great. I like being able to walk to the bookstore and then visit the improv comedy shop,” said Tustin Councilmember Lee Fink, who grew up in Tustin and welcomed the upgrades. “Old Town is constantly thought of as a hidden gem — I’d like more people to discover what we have.”
Nearly $4 million has been approved for the work through the city’s capital improvement program, which the City Council adopted in June. The project is being paid for by the city and funded through Community Development Block Grant money, along with proceeds from land sales.
On Main Street, improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is central to the plan’s vision for economic development, intended to strengthen connections between Old Town and nearby destinations such as the Tustin Branch Library and Tustin Civic Center.
According to the Downtown Commercial Core Specific Plan that city leaders developed in 2018, planned upgrades include reducing vehicular lanes, adding on-street parallel and diagonal parking and enhancing pedestrian crossings.
Additional improvements are expected to include raised medians, repairs to uneven sidewalks, and enhanced safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers through updated signage and right-of-way indicators. Landscape enhancements, such as new street trees aimed at beautifying the area and improving environmental health, will complement new parklets, officials said.
The parklets are being created out of sidewalk extensions that convert select street parking spaces into additional seating or public plaza areas.
Those renovations, planned along El Camino Real and Main Street, are intended to transform open spaces into vibrant community gathering areas that encourage interaction and activity. Fink said renovations will also benefit the community events held in the downtown, such as the Tustin Art Walk, Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off and Sunset Market.
Fink said he hopes the improvements will make Old Town more welcoming to visitors and give people a chance to appreciate everything it has to offer.
“It’s a great place to spend the day,” he said, adding that Old Towne Orange “gives us an idea of what Old Town Tustin could look like.”
City officials said the project team aims to keep disruptions to a minimum, but residents and visitors should expect temporary impacts, including construction noise and the presence of heavy equipment. Regular construction hours will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.