Solana Beach moves forward on east Lomas Santa Fe roadway changes

By Claire Harlin

After responding to overwhelming community opposition by scrapping a plan to decrease east Lomas Santa Fe Drive from four lanes to two lanes, the City of Solana Beach is breezing through the approval process of a new traffic calming plan, with the Solana Beach City Council on Oct. 10 unanimously voting to award a construction contract of $285,780 to PAL General Engineering Inc.

Previously approved by the council on March 14, the plan consists of two years in the making and includes a number of roadway changes, to be completed in March. On Highland Drive, from Sun Valley to Lomas Santa Fe, the city will construct a curb, gutter and sidewalk on the west side and widen the east side, adding a bike lane south of the entrance to San Dieguito Park. Plans also include re-striping to add a two-way left turn median there.

Highland Drive from Lomas Santa Fe to Via La Senda will see the raising of medians and the re-striping to include bike lanes. Lomas Santa Fe just west of Highland will feature curb ramp pop-outs. Ladder-style crosswalks will also be placed on Highland Drive at the intersections of Sun Valley, Via La Senda and Lomas Santa Fe.