Update : Follow-up on the news : City to Get Opinions on ‘Smart Street’ Plan

After fielding complaints from residents, the City Council agreed this week to hire a professional telephone surveyor to gauge local sentiment on a proposed expansion of Imperial Highway.

The project, dubbed “Smart Street,” would widen the road in some places and has been hotly debated at council meetings.

Residents have said they fear the project would bring heavier traffic and require unsightly sound walls. Several citizens told council members Tuesday that the city should either survey residents by mail or put the issue on the ballot.

If necessary, “we can do all three,” Mayor John M. Gullixson responded.

The telephone survey will include about 500 residents and business people selected at random. It will cost $6,400 and should be completed in four or five weeks, city officials said.

If there is a need for more information, Gullixson said, the council can follow up with either a mail survey or a ballot measure, or both.

Gullixson also sought to allay concerns about the expansion by saying that the roadway between Yorba Linda Boulevard and Esperanza Road, known as the Richard Nixon Freeway, would never grow beyond two lanes in each direction.