Santa Fe traffic project hits the brakes
The council defers the project until summer and will analyze the completed elements of the corridor before moving into the next phase
ENCINITAS — Emotions ran high for many residents as the city is deferring construction for the next six to seven months regarding improvements to the Santa Fe corridor.
The council deferred the project on Dec. 18, minus several elements, as delays in securing materials and equipment were disclosed, according to Matt Widelski, the city’s principal engineer. The project first came about in 2017 and aims to address the many traffic and safety issues on Santa Fe east of Interstate 5.
The council’s decision will temporarily halt the project as work will not begin on the protected intersections, also known as pork chops, at two locations and a mid-block traffic signal. The issue saw more than 100 residents attend the meeting with nearly two dozen speaking to the council, along with dozens of emails to the council in support or opposition of the project.
State Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), a former mayor, also spoke in support of completing the project amid jeers from some in the audience. Other residents said the project has made the roadway less safe for motorists, especially emergency vehicles and students driving to or from San Dieguito Academy.
The council also terminated the contract of the contractor and will look for a new firm to resume the project if the council deems it necessary. The city will also conduct a traffic study over the next several months to analyze how the new features interact with motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.
“We’ve heard a lot of serious concerns,” Mayor Bruce Ehlers said. “I’m looking for some more practical observations and that’s why I support staff’s recommendation. We’re going to take time, clean it up … and see how it operates. That will give us a much better-informed decision.”
The project
Widelski said the initial project was more robust but was scaled down due to costs. The total project cost is $4.15 million, while Blakespear secured $3 million from the state legislature in 2023 for construction.
The Western Phase, which is under construction now, includes northside improvements on Santa Fe Drive from MacKinnon Avenue to Evergreen Drive, and southside improvements from Gardena Road to Evergreen Drive. Upgrades include a new sidewalk, curb, gutter, curb ramps, pavement improvements for new five-foot separated bike lanes, sharrows in the travel lanes, traffic calming features, landscaping improvements, and bio-retention facilities.
The road was also restriped and narrowed the width of lanes up to 10 feet, which many residents said creates more issues for vehicles to operate with less space. This part of the project also has curb return pop-outs at the Mackinnon intersection, angled parking between Mackinnon Avenue and Windsor Road, a bus pullout, bus stop improvements, a right turn lane into San Dieguito Academy, street and pedestrian lighting, and a signalized mid-block pedestrian crosswalk to San Dieguito Academy at the bus stop.
However, the bus stop is just before the mid-block crosswalk and may impede the vision of motorists driving east.
Eliminated elements from the original plan include a roundabout at Crest Drive, buffered bike lanes only for the east segment and the north side sidewalk east of Crest Drive.
“I understand the need to terminate this contract for various reasons, but I’m here to advocate for the actual complete project to be built,” Blakespear added. “The reality of protected intersections and mid-block crossings are critical for safety. It is important to remember that a lot of road projects in Encinitas are based around the concept of Vision Zero.
“Vision Zero recognizes that people will make mistakes. People driving will make mistakes, people walking will and people biking will. With the proper road designs and policies like speed limits those mistakes don’t have to result in severe injuries and fatalities.”
She, along with others, cited the tragic death of Brodee Champlain-Kingman, 15, who died in June 2023 after a traffic collision while riding his e-bike on northbound El Camino Real and attempting to turn left onto Santa Fe. Blakespear said investments in road infrastructure save lives and it’s important for the city to continue on the path to complete the entire project.
Blakespear also warned the council they don’t have as much money as they think they have in the budget. She said also said reverse-angle parking on Coast Highway has been a success, which led to many in the audience to jeer Blakespear.
Resident, council reaction
Opponents say the project will only intensify congestion and traffic and will lead to motorists to cut-through neighborhood streets to avoid Santa Fe. In addition, many questioned how emergency vehicles will access the corridor as they said there is no room for motorists to pull over as they are boxed in by the angled parking, which juts out about five feet from the curb to make room for the protected bike lanes.
Another concern is the intersection bulb-outs as several residents said there is no way emergency vehicles can turn right without going into the left lane.
However, Encinitas Fire Chief Josh Gordon said there have been no complaints with the width or turning.
“To this point, there are no complaints on width or turning radius,” he said. “I agree, over time as we collect data, we can address things then. We have confidence that we can meet our response times.”
Other resident concerns center on pedestrian accidents, motorists driving under the influence, collisions, a dangerous design for new student drivers and creating a bottleneck with the reverse parking.
Resident Bernadette Dillon said adding planter boxes makes no sense and is a wasted cost. She said she’s seen too many kids nearly get killed, motorists running stop signs and more.
Some of the comments also include for the council to reconsider the angled parking and widen the lanes.
Supporters of the project said it will enhance safety and aesthetics, improves infrastructure and reduces emissions. Many on both sides said the overall goal is to enhance traffic flow, but more importantly, protect the students who attend SDA.
Councilwoman Joy Lyndes acknowledged the disruptions of the project, but said the project is design to protect kids. Councilman Luke Shaffer said there is a “contradiction” with the city’s aggressive housing plans and adding density while reducing lane capacity.
According to a Federal Highway Administration study on safety evaluations of intersection designs, more bicyclists started their path from the bicycle lane when the intersection was treated (64%) compared to untreated (28%). A greater proportion of each movement type started from the bicycle lane for treated sites, with larger proportions for right turns and through movements.
The study also showed most bicyclists (66%) followed the marked path and went to the right of the corner islands at sites with raised islands.
One challenge, per the study, are the all-stop intersections as 95% of pedestrians and bicyclists did not wait before entering the crossing. For signalized intersections, 54% did not wait; of those who waited, 44% waited on the ramp, 30% on the sidewalk, and 10% on the corner island.
However, the average right-turn speed during a green signal indication decreased from 16 mph to 13.3 mph after the installation of the protected intersection treatment, the study reported.
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