Coastal Commission OKs major El Camino Real road project

SAN DIEGO —  Efforts to replace the El Camino Real Bridge and widen the roadway took a major step forward this past week, as the California Coastal Commission approved a coastal permit for the long-awaited project. 

The nearly $70 million project focuses on a half-mile stretch of El Camino Real between Via de la Valle and San Dieguito Road, with plans to widen the roadway from one lane in each direction to two lanes to alleviate longstanding congestion issues in the area. 

This includes replacing the 84-year-old bridge over the San Dieguito River with a new, four-lane bridge featuring bike lanes and sidewalks. The bridge will also be constructed at a higher elevation to prevent flooding. 

Since the city of San Diego began studying the project in 2006, it has faced repeated delays due to potential environmental impacts and the need for collaboration from other agencies. In that time, officials said traffic issues continued to exceed what the infrastructure could handle. 

“A big reason for this project is that currently, the road and the bridge are functionally obsolete,” Jacob Randles, associate engineer for the city of San Diego, told the Coastal Commission at their March 14 meeting.  

With a permit now approved, San Diego officials plan to complete a final design, obtain right-of-way permits, and secure funding before starting construction in February 2025. 

Construction of the new bridge and widening of El Camino Real is expected to last through early 2028, with demolition of the old bridge in the following months. 

Along with a widened roadway, the project will bring multimodal improvements, including separated bike lanes, new sidewalks, improved traffic signaling, and an equestrian-friendly trail under the new bridge connecting to the planned Coast to Crest Trail. 

“Due to its proximity to the Fairgrounds, the polo fields, the golf course, and the Coast to Crest Trail, people aren’t able to safely transit this road on foot or via bike. These improvements definitely help get after that,” Randles said. 

Planning for how to protect the San Dieguito River and surrounding wetlands has been a crucial focus of the project. As part of their unanimous approval, the Coastal Commission enacted a long list of conditions requiring the city to mitigate impacts on wetlands and other environmentally sensitive habitats. 

This includes maintaining around 15 acres of nearby wetlands and marsh in the adjacent San Dieguito Lagoon Restoration Project site, known as W-19. In addition, a 1,400-foot stretch of Via de la Valle will be widened to install infrastructure for biofiltration, stormwater quality treatment, and drainage. 

“The Commission finds that the proposed project is the least environmentally damaging alternative that is both feasible and meets the project goals,” a staff report stated. 

Commissioner Paloma Aguirre said she appreciated the thorough list of mitigations and emphasized the need for infrastructure improvements in that area.

“Being familiar with this road, it gets very congested. It’s one of the most congested areas in all of San Diego County, so I think this will help alleviate traffic congestion and get people on their bikes,” Aguirre said. 

The project will expand the El Camino Real roadway around 210 feet to the east, partially onto the Surf Cup Sports Park land and the adjacent open space to the north. 

The city of San Diego is currently working with Caltrans to secure around $50 million in project funding via the Federal Highway Administration program.