Traffic Issues on Coast Village Road
The Coast Village Association’s (CVA) Traffic & Safety Committee met last Wednesday to discuss multiple traffic situations that are currently in the works, which impact Coast Village Road and surrounding streets. “We are doing lots of great things and are part of big conversations that have significant impacts on the Coast Village area,” said Bob Ludwick, president of the board of the CVA and a member of the Traffic & Safety Committee, which is co-chaired by board members Thorn Robertson and Trey Pinner.
The most time-sensitive project being discussed is the barrier replacement project on Olive Mill Road, which was scheduled to begin in May but was delayed when it was realized a sewer project for the Rosewood Miramar and the Amgen Bike Tour of California were also slated for the same timeframe. Now, the barrier work is set to begin July 23, and will take about four months to complete.
The project includes reinforcing the bridge to accommodate newer, heavier guardrails, eliminating the east sidewalk, and widening the sidewalk on the west side of the bridge. The first week of the project will include overnight highway closures, and the following week daytime detours and traffic control will begin. “We are still on board with accelerating the work, in an effort to get in and out of your community as quickly as possible,” said Caltrans Construction engineer Jason Kline. Crews will be on site for 12-hour shifts Monday through Friday and 10-hour shifts on Saturdays. There will be detours to accommodate one lane of travel over the bridge; drivers coming from Butterfly Beach attempting to access Coast Village Road will be directed to turn onto Danielson to S. Jameson, across the San Ysidro Road bridge and left on N. Jameson. Later this week, several stakeholders, including property owners, City and County leaders, and members of the CVA Traffic & Safety Committee will meet with Caltrans to discuss how to limit the disruption to Coast Village Road and surrounding areas.
The Committee is also working with the City to make the newly installed temporary stop signs on both ends of Coast Village Road at Coast Village Circle permanent. Surveying crews have been on site counting traffic to make necessary findings to have the signs made permanent. Additional traffic mitigation measures, including orange barriers at the entrance to parking aisles, may also be made permanent (or semi-permanent), as the committee is working on ways to make the barriers functional and more aesthetically pleasing, with the help of the CVA’s Beautification Committee. It’s likely more barriers will be added to deter drivers from using the parking lanes to circumvent traffic; Caltrans has also agreed to put reader boards back on the freeway during the summer months, informing drivers to stay on the freeway instead of exiting at Hot Springs and traversing Coast Village Road.
There are also potholes to contend with, delivery trucks blocking traffic and parking for multiple hours, valet parking issues, and crosswalk issues, according to the committee. Coast Village Road is also slated to be part of a City-wide paid parking program; it’s expected that within the next few years, parking along Coast Village Road will no longer be free, and that business owners and employees will need permits to park along Coast Village Circle.
To become more involved in the Coast Village Association, visit www.coastvillageroad.com.
