NEWS UPDATE:

The Irvine Co. must reopen Pelican Hill Road South in May, rather than keeping it closed another two years, the Newport Beach City Council decided late Tuesday.

The road has been closed since late January for construction of a resort and redesign of the Irvine Co.’s Pelican Hill golf course. The company asked the council to keep the road closed through September 2008, saying it’s the safest way to finish construction.

But residents said they want it open as soon as possible. They worried about emergency vehicles getting to nearby neighborhoods, and nearly 500 homeowners signed petitions asking to reopen the road.