The Coast News Group
Crosswalk
A creative crosswalk has been placed in the heart of downtown Encinitas along Coast Highway 101. Courtesy photo
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Encinitas 101 debuts artistic crosswalk

ENCINITAS — After two years of working with Encinitas city staff and City Council, a one-of-a-kind creative crosswalk has been placed in the heart of downtown along Coast Highway 101. The artistic addition functions to improve walkability while bringing public art to Encinitas.

Located at G Street and South Coast Highway 101, the crosswalk signifies the “spirit and passion found in Encinitas and the Highway 101 coastal communities,” according to 101 MainStreet Association’s release.

Artist Steffen Vala’s iconography of surfboard shapes is a nod to each surfer’s “magic board,” unique to them like their fingerprint, said Irene Pyun of Encinitas 101 MainStreet Association.

Juxtaposing this individualism is a unifying tidal wave laid out like the ocean’s fingerprint that connects all the surfboards. This symbolizes the unifying, collective, “party wave” we are all riding and our love in protecting the environment while celebrating our differences, Pyun wrote.

With the goal of enhancing safety for pedestrian traffic across the South Coast Highway 101, the Encinitas 101 Mainstreet Association enlisted the design expertise of international artist Vala.

Vala’s murals and street art reach from Copenhagen to Paris, Miami and San Diego and now this permanent installation in Encinitas. Fun fact – Mainstreet 101 says this is the longest decorative crosswalk of its kind and the first one across a historic highway.

Encinitas 101 MainStreet is proud to announce this creative crosswalk as an extension of their continued efforts to bring public art to downtown. The intention, the group said, was to improve walkability while enlivening a city street as engaging and a safe place for people.