Regional leaders called on the Encinitas City Council Saturday to preserve core safety components of the $4.1 million Santa Fe Drive Corridor Improvements Project, which aims to make the road safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
The local- and state-funded project, designed to address safety and circulation needs along a half-mile stretch of thoroughfare heavily used by students, faculty and families at San Dieguito Academy High School (SDA), was split into two phases, the first of which was completed in May.
The project has faced controversy for some design elements, including back-in parking. In May, the City Council directed staff to produce at least three options for a redesign of the project that would remove many of the elements that have been put in place. The council voted 4-1, with Encinitas Deputy Mayor Joy Lyndes voting no.
The corridor and adjacent streets have been the site of multiple tragedies, including the death of 15-year-old Brodee Champlain-Kingman in June 2023, according to officials.
“I was thrilled when I was able get $3 million added to the state budget in 2023 to help pay for the majority of the western phase of the Santa Fe Drive Corridor Improvement Project, which was sorely needed to protect the safety of school children and improve our roadway for all users,” state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, said at Saturday’s news conference near San Dieguito Academy.
“Now the City Council is considering tearing out key features of this project, which would be unsafe, costly and wasteful. That would be a terrible mistake.”
The project included building barrier-protected bike lanes and walking paths, lowering the speed limit for vehicles, providing a dedicated bus pullout area, more parking and newer curb and landscaping infrastructure, officials said in a statement.
Mayor Lyndes said the city has made great strides to achieve a balance between safe roadways for cars, pedestrians and bicycles as well as stormwater management.
“This work is not complete yet,” Lyndes said. “So, we must complete this section, work with the community and school to improve how it functions and extend the sidewalks and bike lanes all the way to El Camino Real.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Michelle Horsley, president of the San Dieguito Faculty Association.
“Students and staff being able to safely bike or walk to school should be the number one consideration guiding any discussion of change to the newly completed section of Santa Fe,” Horsley said.
Encinitas residents have addressed the council during public comment sessions, repeatedly raising safety concerns about the project.
Some council members have also referred to the project as a disaster and a legal hazard. Their concerns include the challenges of trying to do back-in parking on a busy roadway, the struggles big vehicles face with the narrowness of new vehicle lanes and tripping hazards posed by the stone-filled stormwater control areas near the back-in parking spots.
The council said a decision is expected later this year, after which the council will move forward with modifications.