HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-03-02; Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission; 01; Guardrail on the West Side of Paseo Del Norte between Camino De Las Ondas and Sunflower WayMeeting Date: March 2, 2026
To: Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission
From: John Kim, City Traffic Engineer
Staff Contact: Miriam Jim, Senior Engineer
miriam.jim@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-5796
Lindy Pham, Associate Engineer
lindy.pham@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2768
Subject: Guardrail on the West Side of Paseo Del Norte between Camino De Las
Ondas and Sunflower Way
District: 3
Recommended Action
Support staff’s recommendation to install approximately 220 feet of guardrail on the west side
of Paseo Del Norte between Camino De Las Ondas and Sunflower Way.
Executive Summary
Residents from the Harbor Pointe Community have requested the installation of guardrail on
the west side of Paseo Del Norte between Camino De Las Ondas and Sunflower Way to prevent
cars from going over the embankment along a curved segment of the roadway following a
collision that resulted in a vehicle running off the road and descending the embankment slope
in their community.
In response to the request to install guardrail on Paseo Del Norte, staff conducted an analysis to
evaluate whether guardrail would be appropriate for this segment of roadway in accordance
with the guidelines found in 2025 Caltran’s Traffic Safety Systems Manual. Based on the
analysis performed, installation of guardrail would reduce the severity of a run-off-road
collision at this location. Therefore, staff recommend installing approximately 220 feet of
guardrail on the west side of Paseo Del Norte along the curved segment between Camino De
Las Ondas and Sunflower Way.
Explanation & Analysis
Background
Paseo Del Norte is classified as Neighborhood Connector Street in the city’s General Plan
Mobility Element. This roadway is located in the southwest quadrant of the city (Exhibit 1). The
segment between Camino De Las Ondas and Sunflower Way has a posted speed limit of 40
miles per hour, or mph. It measures 64 feet in width from curb to curb, accommodating one
TRAFFIC SAFETY & MOBILITY COMMISSION
March 2, 2026 Item #1 Page 1 of 8
travel lane, a buffered bike lane, and a parking lane in each direction, along with a center two-
way left turn lane. The surrounding land use is primarily residential.
North of Camino De Las Ondas, Paseo
Del Norte follows a straight alignment.
Immediately south of Camino De Las
Ondas, the roadway transitions into an
S-curve before returning to a straight
section that terminates at Poinsettia
Lane, see Figure 1.
West of Paseo Del Norte is a gated
community called Harbor Pointe. Paseo
Del Norte sits above the Harbor Pointe
roofline, separated from the
community by a fence and an
embankment slope behind the
sidewalk.
In December 2024, staff received
requests from residents of the Harbor
Pointe Community to install guardrail
along the west side of Paseo Del Norte,
just south of Camino De Las Ondas at
the curved section of the roadway, to prevent cars from going over the embankment following
a collision where a southbound vehicle failed to negotiate the curve, breached a fence and
came to rest on the Harbor Pointe community embankment. The location of the impact is
shown in Figure 1.
Analysis
An evaluation was conducted to determine whether installing a guardrail would be appropriate
for this segment of Paseo Del Norte based on the guidelines as described in the 2025 Caltrans
Traffic Safety Systems Manual. Guardrail installation evaluation considered factors like collision
history, roadway alignment and whether a car hitting guardrail would be more severe than
going over an embankment slope.
Staff reviewed collision data for this segment of Paseo Del Norte from 2020 through 2025.
During this six-year period, four collisions were reported. Two of these involved southbound
vehicles leaving the roadway and descending the embankment just south of Camino De Las
Ondas at the curved section of the roadway. In both cases, driving under the influence was
identified as the primary contributing factor and one of the incidents resulted in a fatality.
To determine whether a car hitting guardrail would be more severe than going over an
embankment slope, the Equal Severity Curve considering the height and slope of the
embankment as presented in the 2025 Caltrans Traffic Safety Systems Manual was reviewed.
Based on as-built plans for the Harbor Pointe Community, the existing embankment west of
Paseo Del Norte is approximately 35 feet high with a 2:1 slope. According to the Equal Severity
Curve, the severity of a car going over the embankment with this combination of height and
Figure 1: Paseo Del Norte
March 2, 2026 Item #1 Page 2 of 8
slope may be greater than the severity of striking a guardrail along the side of the roadway. In
other words, guardrail would likely reduce the severity of run-off-road collisions, see Figure 2
below.
Figure 2: Equal Severity Curve (2025 Caltrans Traffic Safety Systems Manual)
Recommendation
Based on the findings presented in this report, staff recommend installing approximately 220
feet of guardrail on the west side of Paseo Del Norte between Camino De Las Ondas and
Sunflower Way. The guardrail will be placed behind the sidewalk at the curved section of the
roadway as depicted in Figure 3.
35 Feet Height
2:1 Slope
Figure 3: Location of Proposed Guardrail
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The City has contracted with Rick Engineering Co., a civil engineering firm, to develop the
construction plans and bid documents for the installation of the guardrail on Paseo Del Norte.
The 90-percent design plans are provided in Exhibit 2.
Next Steps
Upon receiving support from the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission, staff will finalize the
construction plans and bid documents in preparation for bidding. Since the estimated
construction cost is within the threshold for the Informal Standard Public Works Contract
process, the City Manager has the authority to award the construction contract to the lowest
responsive bidder.
Exhibits
1. Location Map
2. Paseo Del Norte Guardrail Design Plans (90%)
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1
LOCATION MAP
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SAN DIEGO, CA 92110
5620 FRIARS ROAD
619-291-0707
rickengineering.com
CITY OF CARLSBAD
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA
PASEO DEL NORTE GUARDRAIL
CONSTRUCTION PLANS
FOR
PROJECT NO. 6013
Exhibit 2
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SAN DIEGO, CA 92110
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rickengineering.com
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SAN DIEGO, CA 92110
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