ENCINITAS — The City Council approved a $459,398 design contract with Michael Baker International for the planned redo of the controversial Santa Fe Drive infrastructure project, including converting some separated bike lanes into Class II bike lanes.
The Santa Fe Drive Western Phase Improvements Project, completed last spring, is the first of two phases of a $7 million project focused on improving bike and traffic safety along Santa Fe Drive.
Focusing on the area from I-5 to Evergreen Drive adjacent to San Dieguito Academy, the $4.15 million western segment included separated bike lanes, updated striping, angled back-in parking, landscaping, and other infrastructure upgrades.
In November, the council voted to remove and replace several elements of the project following complaints from some community members, with these changes estimated to cost up to $3.6 million.
Vehicle lanes that were reduced to 10 feet in width will be widened to 11 feet; roadside planter boxes and the barrier-protected bike lane on the south side of the road will be removed and replaced with a Class II bike lane (although the protected lane on the school side will remain); and 46 back-in parking spaces will be replaced with up to 47 parallel parking spaces.
The city issued a request for proposals for a firm to design the proposed changes and received responses from Michael Baker International and CJ Roberts Inc, with city staff recommending the former.
On Feb. 25, the council approved the design contract in a 4-1 vote, with Councilmember Joy Lyndes opposed. The council also voted to review the design at 50% completion in order to make any needed changes.
Mayor Bruce Ehlers said the council is responding to calls for change from the community. He claimed many people don’t understand how to use the back-in parking spots, are unhappy with traffic being pushed onto neighboring streets like Melba Road, and that very few students at SDA use the separated bike lanes.
“What I’m up here to do is change those portions, and unfortunately that includes the poorly-done backend parking, and that is a major redo right there,” Ehlers said. “We have to remove the most hated portion of this.”
Other council members and community members also raised concerns about emergency vehicles being unable to access the area during peak hours due to traffic and lanes that are not wide enough.
Councilmember Luke Shaffer said it’s important to have bike lanes throughout the city with consistent infrastructure to make things more predictable for bikers and drivers, noting that the separated bike lane along SDA ends at Bonita Drive/Windsor Road.
“The more consistent we can get across the city, the better our city will be,” Shaffer said.
Lyndes, who also voted against the project changes in November, said redoing parts of the project is a waste of taxpayer money that could go toward other important items, such as rail crossings in Leucadia or repairs to city drainage.
“Instead of listening to the public, this City Council has chosen to redesign the roadway by removing the separated bike lane, eliminating a lot of parking, and redesigning so that cyclists are going to be between traffic and parked cars,” Lyndes said. “Approving Item 8F is not fiscally responsible and it does not best protect the safety of our children and community.”
She also said the council based its November decision on the results of a resident survey completed last spring, when community frustrations over the project were at their highest. Since then, she said, more people have been opposed to removing the new infrastructure.
During construction in 2024, the project became a source of frustration for many residents due to traffic impacts and delays that dragged out the timeline. The City Council ultimately certified the project as complete without some originally-planned elements, including two planned protected intersections at Nardo Road/McKinnon Avenue and Bonita Drive/Windsor Road.
Several residents shared both support for and opposition to moving forward with the infrastructure changes.
Some residents urged the council not to change the project, arguing that the narrower lanes have been crucial in slowing traffic, and the separated lanes make bicyclists feel safer.
“It feels like you’re shooting yourself in the foot. You’re removing the type of bicycle infrastructure that makes fearful riders more comfortable,” said resident Judy Berlfein.
Former Encinitas Mayor Tony Kranz also lambasted the council, stating that they were unnecessarily spending millions of dollars to redo the project to make the area more convenient for cars.
“Your decisions are all made based upon how fast you want to get from one place to the other in your car,” he said.
Other residents thanked the council for addressing what they said were issues in the Santa Fe Drive project.
“We deserve infrastructure that is unquestionably safe, not experimental,” said Natalie Settoon. “The message has been consistent – it’s not working, it’s not safe, and Santa Fe is unfit for safe travel.”
Some said the city needs to make the surrounding streets safer for bikers before making the changes along Santa Fe Drive. Others said that the angled back-in parking spaces are causing more traffic, leading more people to use the side streets.
“Backup parking is causing backups on Santa Fe Drive, and people are taking side streets way too fast with no bike lanes and no sidewalks,” said resident Bernie Dylan.
The Santa Fe Drive project was partially funded by a $3 million grant secured by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, who urged city officials last year not to remove the infrastructure.
Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara noted that this decision will not have any effect on the planned second phase of the Santa Fe Drive project, which will include improvements to the eastern portion of the road from Bonita Drive/Windsor Road to El Camino Real.
A final design for the second phase is expected to go before the council this fall.
