IRVINE : Bankruptcy Delays Widening of Road

A nearly completed project to widen Irvine Center Drive between Sand Canyon Avenue and Barranca Parkway has been delayed after its main contractor declared bankruptcy.

Tucson-based Maya Construction Co. stopped work on the $5.1-million project in late February and filed for Chapter 11 reorganization, said Russ Thiele, city public works project manager.

The widening project was more than 90% complete at the time, Thiele said, but the southbound lanes need paving and two new lanes need restriping.

“Maybe within a week or so something will get resolved,” Thiele said. “We don’t anticipate it being a long delay.”

The city is still waiting to find out from Maya Construction and its bonding company when the road-widening project will proceed, Thiele said. The bonding company probably will have to hire another contractor to finish the work, he said.

Project bonds protect the city from Maya’s bankruptcy by guaranteeing to fund the rest of the project if the company cannot finish the job.

Irvine is widening the one-mile stretch of Irvine Center Drive from two to four lanes, including widening the bridge over the Laguna Freeway.

Irvine city officials received no advance word from Maya Construction that the firm was having financial problems, Thiele said.

The city became aware of the problem when subcontractors on the project began filing notices with the city that they weren’t getting paid, he said.

Roberto Ruiz, president of Maya Construction, could not be reached Friday.

At the time of its bankruptcy filing, Maya Construction was also building a sound wall along the San Gabriel River Freeway to protect homes in Rossmoor from traffic noise.

The bond company on that project has hired a new contractor, which should resume work on the wall shortly, said Milt Petersen, a director of the Rossmoor Homeowners Assn.

The bankruptcy probably will delay completion of the wall a month or two past the scheduled completion date in August, he said.