HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-07-06; Traffic and Mobility Commission; ; El Camino Real Roadway Improvements from Arenal Road to La Costa Avenue, Capital Improvement Program Project No. 6051Item 4
Meeting Date: July 6, 2021
To: Traffic and Mobility Commission
Staff Contact: Brandon Miles, Associate Engineer
Brandon.Miles@carlsbadca.gov, 760-602-2745
Subject: El Camino Real Roadway Improvements from Arenal Road to La Costa
Avenue, Capital Improvement Program Project No. 6051
Recommended Action
Support staff’s recommended alternative for the San Marcos Creek bridge segment of the El
Camino Real Roadway Improvements from Arenal Road to La Costa Avenue, Capital
Improvement Program (CIP) Project No. 6051 (Project).
Background
The Project will widen the southbound direction of El Camino Real for approximately 2,700 feet
from Arenal Road to approximately 500 feet north of La Costa Avenue. The Project will provide
new sidewalks and enhanced buffered bike lanes, consistent with Sustainable Mobility Plan and
the Mobility Element of the city’s General Plan. New streetlights will be installed on the west
side of El Camino Real within the Project reach.
This segment of El Camino Real currently transitions from three to two travel lanes in the
southbound direction, approximately 1,500 feet north of Arenal Road to just north of La Costa
Avenue. The Project will widen this segment of El Camino Real to three southbound vehicular
lanes, provide enhanced buffered bike lane consisting of 8-foot bike lanes with 3-foot buffers,
and install a new sidewalk on the west side of El Camino Real. Currently, no sidewalk exists on
the west side of El Camino Real (in the southbound direction), and on the east side over the San
Marcos Creek bridge. The Project will provide pedestrian connectivity where none previously
existed on both the west and east sides of El Camino Real within the Project area.
The design consultant team originally provided five design alternatives for the existing bridge
over the San Marcos Creek. Some of these alternatives included undesirable bike widths of five
to six feet, without buffers in order to accommodate the arterial lane configuration over the
bridge and reduce the impacts to the adjacent sensitive habitat. Considering the importance of
having pedestrian connectivity and 8-foot bike lanes with 3-foot buffers, two alternatives were
selected for further consideration.
Alternative 1 requires widening the San Marcos Creek bridge to provide the desired bike lanes
and buffers with pedestrian connectivity in both directions (Figure 1). Widening the existing
bridge will require additional piles for structural support to be placed directly into the lagoon
and surrounding protected habitat. Areas impacted by the piles will require mitigation,
resulting in significantly higher cost and an extended project schedule in order to obtain the
necessary environmental permits. In addition, two large utilities will be impacted and will need
to be relocated. Both the 30-inch SDG&E gas line and 16-inch Kinder Morgan high pressure gas
line will be very expensive to relocate and will result in longer construction schedule. The east
side of the bridge will also require relocation of several communication utilities. Alternative 1 is
the more expensive, has greater environmental impacts and permitting complexity, and has
longer design, permitting and construction schedule than Alternative 2.
Figure 1 – Alternative 1
Alternative 2 does not require any improvements to the existing bridge over the San Marcos
Creek, and still provides the 8-foot wide bike lanes with 3-foot buffers (Figure 2). To achieve
these design criteria and not impact the lagoon/sensitive habitat or relocate critical utilities, the
three southbound travel lanes are being narrowed to 10.5 feet wide just for the bridge over the
San Marcos Creek. In addition, two separated pedestrian bridges that would span San Marcos
Creek are proposed to provide pedestrian access and connectivity on both sides of the existing
bridge over the San Marcos Creek. The northbound vehicular lanes will remain at 11-feet wide.
Alternative 2 provides the least amount of impact to the lagoon and sensitive habitat, reduces
the environmental permitting complexity and the associated mitigation costs, and shortens the
permitting time in preparing and circulating the Project Environmental Impact Report.
Alternative 2 will result in overall lower costs and shorter construction schedule for the bridge
improvements. Existing utilities will be protected in place, eliminating the need to relocate.
Alternative 2 will require additional right-of-way on the east side where existing ornamental
vegetation exists.
Exist
R/W
RELOCATE 16"
KINDER MORGAN
FUEL LINE
30° SDG&E
GAS LINE
SOUTHBOUND
87'
~ EL CAMINO REAL
9' 9'
MEDIAN
I
NORTHBOUND
63'
RELOCATE BRIDGE
MOUNTED UTILITIES
12" CMWO/
WATER LINE
Figure 2 - Alternative 2
Both alternatives will improve multimodal circulation along the roadway segment from Arenal
Road to La Costa Avenue and include buffered bike lanes with green dashed striping at conflict
zones. In addition, new streetlights will be added for safety on the west side of El Camino Real
from Arenal Road to La Costa Avenue.
Staff recommend Alternative 2 as the preferred alternative for the San Marcos Creek bridge,
and request that the Traffic and Mobility Commission support this recommendation.
Necessary Council Action
Following the Traffic and Mobility Commission’s support, staff will direct the design consultant
team to prepare the Project construction plans, specifications and cost estimates to be
presented at a future Traffic and Mobility Commission meeting.
Staff will also bring a staff report to the City Council in spring 2023 with a recommendation to
approve the plans and specifications, and authorize the city clerk to advertise the Project for
construction bids.
Next Steps
Following the Traffic and Mobility Commission’s support, staff will prepare the Project
construction plans, specifications and cost estimates to be presented at a future Traffic and
Mobility Commission meeting targeted for spring 2023.
Staff will bring a staff report to the City Council in spring 2023 and recommend that the City
Council approve the plans and specifications, and authorize the city clerk to advertise the
Project for construction bids. After the bidding process is complete, staff will return to the City
Council with a request to award a construction contract to the lowest responsive and
responsible bidder. The construction is targeted to begin in summer 2023, with completion
expected to be in late 2024.
Exhibits
1. Location Map of El Camino Real Roadway Improvements from Poinsettia Lane to
Camino Vida Roble
E,itl
R/W
SINGLE SPAN
PR[fABRICA TEO
STEEL TRUSS \lj!TH
INTEGRAL RAIUNG
SOUTHBOOHD
87'
PROTECT IN
PLACE 16" KM
FUEL UNE
30" SOG&E
G"-S LINE
10.5'
42'
't. El CAMINO REAL
10.5' 10.5' .a
NORTHBOONO
63'
11· 11' 11'
LANE LANE LANE o: Bl E ~ LANE
~~~ffi
54'
12" CMWO
WATER LINE
PrOP
R/W
SINGLE Sf' AN PREFABRICATED
STEEL TRUSS \ljl TH
INTEGRAL RAILING
RELOCA T[ BRIDGE
MOUNTED UTIUTIES
LA
C
O
S
T
A
A
V EL CAMINO REALARENA
L
R
D
LEVANTE ST
ALMADEN L
NALICANTE RDSALIE
NT
E
W
Y
LOTUS C
T
PLAZUELA
S
TCARINGA WYPLAYA RDSUBID
A
T
E
R
R
A
C
E
SACADA CRESCENICO TERRACEREPOSADO DRTO
R
R
E
J
O
N
P
L
GERANIUM
S
T
CORTE AZU
L
GRE
E
N
V
I
E
W
D
R
PROJECT NAME EXHIBITPROJECT
NUMBER6051 1EL CAMINO REAL WIDENING FROMARENAL ROAD TO LA COSTA AVENUE
SITE
LOCATION MAP
CARLSBAD
VISTA
ENCINITAS
OCEANSIDE
SAN MARCOS
Vicinity Map
SITE³NOT TO SCALE
³NOT TO SCALE
PLOT DATE: 6/15/2021 PATH: J:\AC_Customers\Brandon_Miles\LocationMaps\El_Camino_Real_Arenal-LaCosta\El Camino Real Widening- Arenal-LaCosta.mxdAuthor: Andy Chang