ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council recently approved installing nearly 1,200 feet of new fencing along Rancho Santa Fe Road to provide a safety buffer between the road and pedestrians on the multi-use Olivenhain trail.
The portion of new fencing between Lone Jack Road and 13th Street will be the first segment of the full Olivenhain Trail Enhancements Project, which will install fencing along Rancho Santa Fe, from Lone Jack to Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School.
The Olivenhain trail system is well-trafficked by schoolchildren, equestrians, walkers and bikers who live in the neighborhood.
In January 2023, the city received a $150,000 grant from the California Parks and Recreation Department to pay for the new fencing.
City staff presented design plans for the Olivenhain Trail Enhancements Project to the City Council in December, which included a recommendation to install post and rope fencing. The council returned the project to staff, asking them to present the designs to the Olivenhain Town Council and Encinitas Trails Coalition for their opinions before granting final approval.
During the council’s April 10 meeting, city staff heard from members of the town council and the trails coalition regarding the potential fencing types on Rancho Santa Fe Road. Most people preferred a composite fence over the staff-recommended post and rope fence.
According to staff, posts and ropes are popping up in cities like San Marcos and Poway and are considered safer. Posts and ropes are also cheaper, at $63.05 per foot, than composite material, which is $154.58 per foot.
Councilmember Bruce Ehlers said that composite fencing has a higher initial cost. However, the material lasts longer than organic wooden poles and rope, so it would be a better long-term option.
Many also favored composite, lodgepole-style fencing over the post-and-rope option because it would complement the already existing fencing throughout Olivenhain.
The City Council ultimately approved the use of composite fencing as the material.
Ehlers said composite fencing will suit the community’s “equestrian nature.”
According to staff, the new segment of fencing would have been able to stretch 1,872 feet — to 13th Street — with post and rope; however, because the cost of composite fencing is greater, the city can only afford to reach just over half that distance at 1,192 feet.
Ehlers said the community would prefer a shorter segment with composite fencing, noting that the new segment would still help pedestrians feel protected.
“It covers the curve where you feel the most exposed,” he said.
Now that the City Council has given its final approval, city staff can begin advertising bids for construction contractors to take on the project.
