RUSH-HOUR ROAD WORK BAN IN STORE MAYOR TO UNVEIL PLAN TODAY.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

In two major initiatives to improve travel on city streets, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is set to announce today that he will ban rush-hour road construction to ease congestion and devote substantially more funds to street paving.

The mayor's directives begin to fulfill campaign promises and complement Councilwoman Wendy Greuel's proposal, also being introduced today, to enact a tougher city roadwork ban.

``There's very few issues that affect the quality of life more than traffic congestion and gridlock,'' said Villaraigosa spokeswoman Janelle Erickson. ``Getting stuck in traffic is more than just an inconvenience - it keeps us away from our families, pollutes our environment and costs our economy.''

She said the mayor and the councilwoman worked together to devise the roadwork ban, which they'll unveil at a press conference in the San Fernando Valley.

The city already has a ban on rush-hour road construction, but city officials say it's rarely enforced and has no teeth.

The mayor's executive directive will tell all department heads to prohibit roadwork on major streets from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and to assign staffers to start enforcing the ban.

Exceptions will be made for emergency repairs and large-scale projects that tie up the streets for several days.

His directive would take effect 15 days after being publicly posted.

Greuel's proposal, which will be introduced at council committees today - and which grew from a motion that the mayor supported as a councilman - takes the ban a step further by extending it to private firms such as the gas, cable or telephone companies that conduct about two-thirds of the underground utility work in city streets.

It also beefs up the enforcement provisions by creating escalating fines of up to $1,000 for violators. Her proposal also clearly spells out how city crews will begin enforcing the ban.

Greuel said the mayor's directive will help jump-start her proposal as it makes its way through City Council.

``The mayor and I have been working cooperatively to expedite the ban on rush-hour construction. Our combined efforts will make sure our streets are moving again.

``I welcome and support his efforts,'' she said.

There are few traffic jams more infuriating to Los Angeles residents than those that happen because work crews are in the streets.

More than 16,000 permits are issued each year to carve up the streets - and countless streets are dug up illegally - wreaking havoc on commuters trying to negotiate jammed roads.

City inspectors often have no idea where crews are at work - because workers disregard rules requiring them to notify the city, officials said.

When inspectors catch violators they slap them with citations that are essentially ignored. So few citations are prosecuted as misdemeanors that city officials could not provide a tally.

``It'll have a tremendous impact,'' said John Reamer, director of contract administration, whose public works inspectors would be empowered to issue citations under Greuel's plan.

``The permit is clear: They should not be doing the work. Unfortunately, there are those who do. The more eyes you have looking at the situation, I just think it'll really help.''

Utility companies - who do the bulk of the in-street work - were monitoring the proposals.

``L.A. DWP understands the city's concerns and will work to ensure that not only L.A. DWP staff, but also contractors working on behalf of the L.A. DWP, comply with construction permits,'' said Gale Harris, a spokeswoman for the city-owned Department of Water and Power.

A spokesman for The Gas Co. said crews only do emergency work during rush hour.

``These kinds of proposed ordinances, if they're collaborative and balanced with business, can be beneficial,'' said spokesman Peter Hidalgo.

City street crews only work during rush hour to fill dangerous potholes or conduct major road projects, both of which would likely be allowed to continue with exemptions, said the city's director of street services.

But Councilman Greig Smith, who chairs the Public Works Committee that will discuss Greuel's proposal today, wants to make sure the ban doesn't lead to other problems - such as nighttime work on a big street like Balboa Boulevard, where residents live.

``The quality of life needs to be looked at in every policy decision,'' said Mitchell Englander, the councilman's chief of staff. ``For every action, there's a reaction. So those questions need to be asked.''

Separately, the mayor will also announce that he's putting a substantial portion of the $16 million of transportation money recouped from the state into street paving.

The city's streets are in dismal shape, with a decade-long backlog of resurfacing needs. Two-thirds of the city's 6,500 miles of streets need to be redone after years of neglect.

The mayor will boost the budget by $11 million, adding another 50 miles to the street repaving workload this year.

In all, the city will get 250 miles of streets repaved - more than has been done in years. Last year, the city got 135 miles repaved, and before leaving office former Mayor James Hahn bumped up the street paving budget to 200 for 2005-06.

Lisa Mascaro, [phone]

lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com

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(1 -- color) VILLARAIGOSA

(2 -- color) GREUEL