Solana Beach City Council members voted March 13 to proceed with an analysis of a pedestrian crossing at the north end of Highway 101, near the city’s border with Encinitas.
The city will be amending a contract with STC Traffic, which has been in effect since 2018, to pay an additional $20,000 (not to exceed $45,000) for traffic engineering services. The money would come from the Traffic Safety Professional Services Budget Account for the 2023-24 school year.
Evaluating a possible pedestrian crossing has been in the city’s work plan for the past few years, according to a city staff report, and the city contracted with STC Traffic last year for preliminary design.
Features of the project include a mid-block pedestrian crossing with a rectangular rapid-flashing beacon with warning lights for traffic, an extension of the Coastal Rail Trail from Ocean Street to the border with Encinitas, and new bike lanes.
The proposal would also reduce the number of lanes from two per direction to one.
“Although the proposed design reduces the travel lanes from four lanes to two lanes, the traffic demand is not high enough to cause traffic backup,” according to a city staff report. “At the proposed mid-block pedestrian crossing, motorists are not expected to experience long delays.”
There isn’t an estimate for the final cost of the project yet, according to city staff. During the final design phase, there will be a report to the City Council about construction costs.
The next steps include the city going to California Coastal Commission staff to ask whether a Coastal Development Permit is necessary, getting input from the Nature Collective Organization and continuing to collaborate with the city of Encinitas.
“I believe it is very responsive to the desire of the large number of residents we’ve heard from,” Solana Beach Deputy Mayor Jewel Edson said.
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