Encinitas pauses Santa Fe Drive project elements pending review

ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council on Dec. 18 voted unanimously to postpone construction on specific elements of the ongoing Santa Fe Drive Improvement Project for six months while continuing to monitor and evaluate the most recently completed upgrades.

The $4.1 million project, which includes buffered bike lanes, reverse-angle parking, protected intersections and new sidewalks, is a significant and controversial corridor overhaul aiming to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and students commuting to San Dieguito Academy.

The council’s decision, which came after a lengthy public comment period where approximately 20 residents spoke, postpones the construction of protected intersections at Nardo Road/McKinnon Avenue and Bonita Drive/Windsor Road, as well as the mid-block traffic signal from the Santa Fe West project.

After observing how the current improvements perform, these deferred elements will be evaluated and potentially included in a separate project, with a review expected by May.

Mayor Bruce Ehlers acknowledged that the project’s progress had not met expectations and detailed its primary objectives, stressing the importance of ensuring arterial traffic flows smoothly, a concern residents frequently voiced during public comments.

“We’re trying to make it safer for students, pedestrians, and bicyclists,” Ehlers said during his comments. “But also, we want to have school drop-off and pick-up flow and queue well, and while it’s queuing up, we need emergency vehicles to navigate through congested traffic quickly and reliably.”

While many elements of the project are complete, including separated bike lanes, sidewalks, and reverse-angle parking near the school, critical components such as protected intersections at Nardo Road/McKinnon Avenue and Bonita Drive/Windsor Road, as well as a mid-block crossing, remain unfinished.

These features have been delayed due to material procurement challenges, with a six- to seven-month lead time for necessary equipment.

Many members of the public voiced frustrations over design elements like planter boxes, back-in parking, and narrow roadways, which some residents argued impede traffic flow and create safety concerns. Others supported the project’s goal of improving students’ and cyclists’ safety and mobility.

State Sen.Catherine Blakespear, a former mayor of Encinitas, attended the meeting to make a public statement, urging the council to stay committed to completing the project as originally designed.

Blakespear oversaw the project’s initial 2022 approval.

“The reality of the protected intersections and the mid-block crossings is that they are critical to create the safety that this project envisions,” Blakespear said.

She framed the project within the context of Vision Zero, stating, “Vision Zero recognizes that people will make mistakes. People who are driving will make mistakes. People walking and biking will, but with the proper road designs and related policies like speed limits, those mistakes don’t have to result in severe injuries and fatalities.”

Blakespear also highlighted her role in securing $3 million in state funding for the project and cautioned against using limited general fund resources to reverse completed work.

“I hope you prioritize funding the rest of it, because it really does matter,” she said.

Deputy Mayor Joy Lyndes acknowledged these frustrations, noting the widespread disruption caused by the ongoing construction.

“There’s been significant disruption as a result of the construction project. It has not progressed as we had hoped or contracted for,” Lyndes said, reaffirming her commitment to the project’s stated aims. “It is truly about the kids. It’s about the kids and their safety.”

Fire Chief Josh Gordon addressed concerns about emergency vehicle access on the narrowed roadways, assuring the council that the current design meets fire code requirements.

“Since it’s striped, we’ve had our fire engines and our trucks out there running back and forth on it, and at this point, we’ve had no negative feedback on the width of the lanes or their turning radius so far,” Gordon said. He added that ongoing monitoring will help determine if adjustments are needed.

Councilmember Luke Shaffer highlighted the broader challenges facing the city’s infrastructure, pointing to what he described as a “contradiction” between increasing housing density and reducing road capacity.

“We’re voting on housing and adding more people, but then we’re getting rid of lanes and trying to put bikes in the same spot where cars drive,” Shaffer said, adding that pausing work on the protected intersections to evaluate the corridor’s current functionality.

Councilmember Jim O’Hara also expressed reservations about the project’s current direction, citing specific safety concerns, such as potential hazards for elderly residents crossing bike lanes and the overall impact on traffic flow.

“One of the things I see in this project, whether it’s a safety issue or not, is a flow issue,” O’Hara said.

He suggested exploring alternatives, such as redirecting students to different school entrances and emphasized the need for a community-informed approach. O’Hara voiced support for implementing the mid-block crossing as soon as possible, describing it as the one aspect of the project that garnered broad consensus.

After deliberations, the council approved a motion to defer construction of the protected intersections and mid-block crossing from the Santa Fe West project. Instead, these elements will be reassessed and incorporated into a new project after further review and observation of the corridor’s performance, with an update expected by May.

“We’re going to take the pause time to clean [the project] up, make it look like a standard road, take the construction accouterments away, and see how it operates,” Ehlers said, summarizing the council’s approach.