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Home My WebLink About2021-06-07; Traffic and Mobility Commission; ; Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail ProjectItem 5 Meeting Date: June 7, 2021 To: Traffic and Mobility Commission Staff Contact: Nathan Schmidt, Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Nathan.schmidt@carlsbadca.gov, 760-637-7183 Subject: Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail Project Recommended Action Receive a presentation and provide input on the conceptual plan for the Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail project. Summary In July 2017, the City of Carlsbad was awarded an Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant by Caltrans to construct a portion of the Coastal Rail Trail along Avenida Encinas between Carlsbad Boulevard and Cannon Road, which the local and regional community identifies as a high priority. The Coastal Rail Trail is a planned regional bikeway that includes a 44-mile regional bikeway that connects six coastal cities throughout San Diego County. The project plans to construct over 2.5 miles of new enhanced bicycle facilities, pedestrian ramps, new sidewalks where there are missing gaps, enhanced intersection treatments for improved bicycle and pedestrian safety, and traffic calming with a road diet at select locations along the corridor. This item was previously presented to the Traffic and Mobility Commission (T&MC) on May 3, 2021. During this review, the T&MC questioned why this segment of the Coastal Rail Trail project alignment was proposed on Avenida Encinas between Carlsbad Boulevard and Cannon Road. Specifically, the T&MC questioned why the Coastal Rail Trail alignment was not proposed along the railroad corridor as found in other jurisdictions and requested that staff research the history of the proposed alignment and report back to the T&MC. Discussion In response to the T&MC request for additional information regarding the project alignment, staff reached out to our planning partners at the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) active transportation division. From these discussions staff understands that the original project alignment was considered along the NCTD railroad corridor however after further engineering analysis it was determined that an alignment positioned along the railroad corridor would be infeasible due to environmental and financial constraints. This analysis was conducted as part of the initial Coastal Rail Trail planning study conducted in 2010 and most recently as part of the Encinitas Coastal Rail Trail (CRT) segment study conducted in 2020. The Encinitas CRT study evaluated three potential alignments between Leucadia Boulevard and the Carlsbad city limits at La Costa Avenue. North of La Costa Avenue heading into Carlsbad, it was determined that the Coastal Rail Trail must use Carlsbad Boulevard as all other potential alignments in this area would require a new bridge structure across the environmentally sensitive Batiquitos Lagoon, meaning that the facility must be west of the railroad corridor north of La Costa Avenue. The full Encinitas Coastal Rail Trail Evaluation study can be downloaded from the following link: Encinitas Coastal Rail Trail Alignment Study Next Steps Following the Traffic and Mobility Commission’s initial review of the proposed project improvements, staff will select a consultant to develop more detail concept plans and later project construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates. In addition, staff will create a project website to inform the community about project updates, concept plans, public meetings, and as a source to provide feedback. After development of the refined conceptual plans staff will return to the Traffic and Mobility Commission for final review of the project prior to finalizing the engineering designs and project construction. Exhibits 1.May 3, 2021 Staff Report 2.Proposed Project Improvement Map 3.Proposed Conceptual Cross Section Diagrams Exhibit 1 Meeting Date: May 3, 2021 To: Traffic and Mobility Commission Staff Contact: Nathan Schmidt, Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Nathan.schmidt@carlsbadca.gov, 760-637-7183 Subject: Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail Project Recommended Action Receive a presentation and provide input on the conceptual plan for the Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail project. Summary In July 2017, the City of Carlsbad was awarded an Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant by Caltrans to construct a portion of the Coastal Rail Trail along Avenida Encinas between Carlsbad Boulevard and Cannon Road, which the local and regional community identifies as a high priority. The Coastal Rail Trail is a planned regional bikeway that includes a 44-mile regional bikeway that connects six coastal cities throughout San Diego County. The project plans to construct over 2.5 miles of new enhanced bicycle facilities, pedestrian ramps, new sidewalks where there are missing gaps, enhanced intersection treatments for improved bicycle and pedestrian safety, and traffic calming with a road diet at select locations along the corridor. This item is intended to provide the public and the Traffic and Mobility Commission the first opportunity to review the proposed project improvements at a conceptual level of detail. After this initial review staff will work with a consultant to develop detailed engineering plans and specifications which will be presented to the public and Traffic and Mobility Commission for additional feedback in the fall of 2021. In addition, staff will develop a project website as a source of information with project design updates, public meetings, and with directions on how to provide additional public feedback throughout the design process. Discussion In 2017, the City of Carlsbad was awarded an Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 3 grant to construct a portion of the Coastal Rail Trail along Avenida Encinas between Cannon Road and Carlsbad Boulevard. Since approval of the ATP grant, the city has constructed a portion of the project improvements proposed in the original grant application between Cannon Road and Palomar Airport Road under a separate CIP project including a road diet with buffered bike lanes. In addition, an enhanced intersection improvement was proposed at the intersection of Avenida Encinas and Cannon Road has been removed from the project scope of work as this feature will be constructed by a separate city funded capital improvement project, the Terramar Coastal Improvement project, within the next 3 to 4 years. Because the segment between Cannon Road and Palomar Airport Road has been constructed in line with the original ATP grant application it will be removed from the project scope of work. The removal of this segment will allow the city to reallocate a portion of the project funds to improvements along the remainder of the corridor such as additional enhanced intersection treatments along the portion south of Poinsettia Lane as discussed below. Existing Conditions This segment of Avenida Encinas between Palomar Airport Road and Carlsbad Boulevard is a major public transit corridor that includes five NCTD transit stops including the Poinsettia Regional Transit Station located at the center of the project corridor. The Poinsettia station includes bicycle racks and secure bike lockers that bicycle commuters may use while taking the NCTD COASTER to destinations throughout the region. In addition to transit access, the project corridor is widely used to access three schools, recreational centers with youth and adult gyms, residences, major employment centers, medical and commercial offices, South Carlsbad State Beach, and retail shopping. Although there are numerous community destinations directly along the project corridor, the missing bike and pedestrian facilities often make vehicle trips a more convenient and safer choice. According to the Pedestrian Master Plan, located along the project corridor is one of the highest concentrations of employees, walking commuters, pedestrian-dependent sub-populations (youth and elderly), disabled persons, and pedestrian generators in the city. Due to these land use and demographic factors, there is a major potential for the local community to make convenient walking and biking trips, rather than driving, for everyday activities. Regionally, more people will also be encouraged to bike and walk to and from the regional transit station to the many nearby visitor serving destinations. Proposed Project Improvements The proposed Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail project will provide enhanced connections for bicycles and pedestrians to the variety of land uses and destinations along the project corridor including the regional Poinsettia Transit station. The overall project goals are to improve walkability and bikability with streetscape and traffic calming improvements that are intended to enhance safety for all modes, reduce vehicle speeds, encourage new active transportation users, and promote healthy lifestyles through the city and the San Diego Region. Improvements along the project corridor include the following features as identified in the conceptual plan map provided in Exhibit 1: • Approximately 2.5 miles of new Class-II buffered bike lanes • New sidewalks and pedestrian ramps where there are missing gaps • Enhanced intersection treatments including curb extensions, traffic calming measures, and high visibility crosswalks at the following intersections on Avenida Encinas: o Palomar Airport Road o Poinsettia Lane o Portage Way o Dory Lane o Carlsbad Boulevard • Traffic calming with a road diet between Poinsetta Lane and Carlsbad Boulevard • Enhanced midblock pedestrian crossings (potentially with pedestrian actuated signs and median refuges) along Avenida Encinas at the following locations: o Poinsettia Station Driveway: Pedestrian Hybrid Beach (HAWK) crossing o South of Poinsettia Lane at the Poinsettia Village Shopping Mall As shown in the proposed roadway cross sections diagrams provided in Exhibit 2, most of the roadway segment level improvements will be implemented through roadway restriping. However, there are portions of the project corridor between Palomar Airport Road and the Poinsettia Station which will require widening of the existing roadway in order to accommodate new sidewalks and wider bikeway facilities. Next Steps Following the Traffic and Mobility Commission’s initial review of the proposed project improvements, staff will select a consultant to develop more detail concept plans and later project construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates. In addition, staff will create a project website to inform the community about project updates, concept plans, public meetings, and as a source to provide feedback. After development of the refined conceptual plans staff will return to the Traffic and Mobility Commission for final review of the project prior to finalizing the engineering designs and project construction. Exhibits 1. Proposed Project Improvement Map 2. Proposed Conceptual Cross Section Diagrams Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian Improvements March 2021 Poinsettia VillageHotel Cluster Hotel Cluster Encinas Wastewater Authority Restaurant Plaza Employment Center Employment Center Carlsbad Premium Outlets Carlsbad Flower Fields LEGOLAND Costco Recreational Complex Halstrom Academy South CarlsbadState Beach Campground Terra Mar Point Coaster Station 5 Overall Improvements Map with Project Revisions E E E B B Hotel Cluster 1.5 Miles to Downtown Village and State BeachCannon RdAvenida Encinas Paseo Del Norte Batiquitos Dr Avenida Encinas Palomar Airport RdPointsettia LnCarlsbad Blvd Carlsbad Blvd With New Pedestrian Ramps and Enhanced Crossing E E A A C C DDE E Exhibit 2 Removed Portion bet. Cannon Rd. and Palomar Airport Rd.: Constructed by City through separate CIP Poinsettia Station to Poinsettia Ln: Restripe with Buffered Bike Lanes Poinsettia Ln to Windrose Cir.: Implement Road Diet and Restripe with Buffered Bike Lanes City Bus Stop Trail Head Beach Access Proposed Improvements Road Diet w/ Enhanced Class II Bike Lanes New Sidewalk Roadway Widening(to Fit Bike Facilities) Enhanced Pedestrian Crossing (such as potential Pedestrian Actuated Signal and Median Refuge) Regional Future Final Coastal Rail Trail - Multi-use Path 0 500 1,000 FT E Existing Bike Lane - Class III Gap Closure Bicycle Facility Gap Sidewalk Gap Connection to Existing Regional Coastal Rail Trail Bikeway Connection to Regional Transit Nor th County Transit District Coaster Station Enhanced Class II Bike Lanes City and Regional Existing Bike Lane - Class II Existing Coastal Rail Trail Major Employment Centers: Encina Wastewater Authority San Diego Gas and Electric Services Go Pro Recreational Complex: Playwerx Vital Climbing Gym YMCA Gracie Jiu Jitsu Faction Martial Arts Cross Fit 760 Agility Studio Kaia Fit North County Ikm Defense School Noonan Family Swim School Hotel Cluster: La Quinta Inn & Suites Ramada Carlsbad Motel 6 Holiday Inn Express 2 Suites Hyatt Hotel West Inn & Suites Legend Yellow highlights indicate revisions from the original project description Enhanced Intersection (to follow FHWA best practicies such as corner bulb-outs) Roadway cross section locations (See attached)A A Enhanced IntersectionEnhanced Pedestrian Crossing • • • • • • 1111111111 • -- J 0 (ctyof Carlsbad Ca I i f' a r n I .a Section A-A : Avenida Encinas South of Palomar Airport Road Existing: Proposed: *Cross sections are not to scale. Dimensions are approximate and for conceptual analysis only. Requires roadway widening by approximately 9 ft. Exhibit 3 7' Bike lane ,~ • ' 6' 7' Sidewalk Bike lane 11' Drive lane s 2' 10' Drive lane 11' Center turn lane 11'.91 10' Center t urn lane • 11' Drive lane • 10' Drive lane 5' s 2' 7' Bike lane 6' Sidewalk Made 1 6' Sidewalk Made Section B-B : Avenida Encinas North of Poinsettia Station Driveway Existing: Proposed: *Cross sections are not to scale. Dimensions are approximate and for conceptual analysis only. Requires roadway widening by approximately 30 ft. • • 12½' 12½' Drive lane Drive lane Made with • 9 r:r -• • 't' I I I 6' 7' 3' 11½' 11½' 3' 7' 6' Sidewalk Bike lane Drive lane Drive lane Bike lane Sidewalk Made Section C-C : Avenida Encinas South of Poinsettia Station Driveway Existing: Proposed: *Cross sections are not to scale. Dimensions are approximate and for conceptual analysis only. No roadway widening required. ,.. n 6' Sidewalk ,.. 0 ' 6' 8' Parking lane ' - 7' Sidewalk Parking lane 8' Bike lane s 2' 6' Bike lane s 2' 11' Drive lane 10' Drive lane 10' Center turn lane .... 10' Center turn lane • • Drive lane • ■ s 10' 2' Drive lane Bike lane Parking lane SI 6' 2' 7' Bike lane Parking lane 6' Sidewalk 6' Sidewalk Made Made Section D-D : Avenida Encinas North of Windrose Circle Existing: Proposed: *Cross sections are not to scale. Dimensions are approximate and for conceptual analysis only. Implement road diet. No roadway widening required. ' 6' Sidewalk ' 6' Sidewalk 5' • rr 8' Bike lane ---- 14' Drive lane ~ 12' Buffer 12' Drive lane .a.I; --• - 18' Planting strip -• - 18' Planting strip - -- 12' Drive lane ----• • 11' Drive lane 14' Drive lane ~ 12' Buffer 5' 8' Bike lane n 6' Sidewalk " ' 6' Sidewalk Made Made Section E-E : Avenida Encinas South of Windrose Circle Existing: Proposed: *Cross sections are not to scale. Dimensions are approximate and for conceptual analysis only. Remove center left turn lane. No roadway widening required. 6' 4' Sidewalk i, 6' 8' Sidewalk Bike lane 12' Drive lane !I 4' j Buffer [ 11' 14' Center turn lane 11' Drive lane Drive lane 12' Drive lane !I 4' j Buffer J 4' 8' Bike lane i ' 6' i ' 6' Sidewalk Made Made