ENCINITAS — After years of planning, neighborhood advocacy and funding challenges, the city of Encinitas is preparing to move forward with a long-awaited pedestrian path along La Costa Avenue.
The Encinitas City Council unanimously approved the project’s final design and authorized staff to advertise for construction bids as part of the June 17 consent calendar. The council also increased the project budget using developer fees collected for the project.
The improvements will create a pedestrian path along the south side of La Costa Avenue between Interstate 5 and North Vulcan Avenue, a stretch that residents have long described as hazardous for people walking or biking to nearby neighborhoods and South Ponto Beach.
The project will include about a half-mile of 4-foot-wide decomposed granite pedestrian path, a buffered bicycle lane, 15 Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps, seven reconstructed driveways, four upgraded street crossings and a new sidewalk connection along North Vulcan Avenue.
The council also appropriated $29,300 collected through the development of the Triton Encinitas Apartments. The amount includes an $18,050 fair-share deposit and an $11,250 fee-in-lieu payment that city documents say will help pay for improvements along the project’s frontage.
Overall, the city now has nearly $1.3 million available for construction. About $1.2 million comes from a San Diego Association of Governments Smart Growth Incentive Program grant, with the city providing the required $100,000 local match.
The project has been years in the making.
The City Council first funded design work in June 2023 after residents repeatedly raised concerns about pedestrian safety along the busy corridor. Preliminary design reached 30% completion later that year, and city staff hosted a neighborhood meeting in February 2024, where about 25 residents reviewed the plans and provided feedback.
As previously reported by The Coast News, frustration with the project’s pace boiled over in July 2024, when nearly a dozen residents spent several weekends clearing overgrown vegetation to create a makeshift dirt footpath along the roadway.
Longtime resident Steve Norton, who had advocated for a sidewalk for more than a decade, said residents felt they could no longer wait for the city to act. Norton also told The Coast News that his wife had been struck by a vehicle while using the crosswalk at La Costa Avenue and North Vulcan Avenue, underscoring what neighbors described as dangerous conditions.
Residents said the temporary path gave pedestrians additional room to avoid passing vehicles while walking between nearby neighborhoods and the beach.
The project later underwent several design revisions while the city pursued grant funding and completed environmental review and permitting. Final design was completed in March, and the city received a Coastal Development Permit in April before entering into a funding agreement with SANDAG for the grant.
Mayor Bruce Ehlers highlighted the project during his State of the City address in April, sharing a photo he took while walking the corridor with former Mayor Tony Kranz.
“I got this picture — the people posed for me perfectly right out in the middle of the street,” Ehlers said. “This is not safe.”
Ehlers said the project represents an investment in safety for all users of the corridor.
“We now have money to construct and put a real path — walking path raised off the pavement — here,” Ehlers said. “By focusing on behavior and design, we’re creating a safer Encinitas. This is for everyone, whether they’re pedestrians, whether they’re cyclists or whether they’re drivers.”
According to city staff, the project is expected to be advertised for construction this summer, with a contract award anticipated in August. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall.
