Roads & Infrastructure

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Carmel Valley Road Enhancement Project Construction to Begin Soon!

Council President Scott Peters has been working with Community leaders to complete the Carmel Valley Road Enhancement Project since being elected in 2000. On July 10, 2003, he was pleased to help get the project past its last hurdle with a unanimous approval from the California Coastal Commission. Now, after overcoming a fair amount of issues, including a shortfall in funding, Council President Peters is pleased to announce that construction is expected to begin in August 2006, with construction going full swing by September 2006.

The project is the culmination of community efforts to improve Carmel Valley Road and preserve and enhance the area around the Los Penasquitos Lagoon.

The $4.6 million project entails street improvements to the existing 1.2-mile stretch of the road between Via Mar Valle and Sorrento Valley Road. The project will add class 2 bike paths on either side of Carmel Valley Road and the South side of the road will include a walking path along the lagoon. This will provide safer access for cyclists and pedestrians to Torrey Pines State Beach and Del Mar beaches. The project also includes the undergrounding of power lines along Carmel Valley Road to open up view corridors and increase safety. Decorative pavement will also be added to intersections to enhance the appearance of the community.

One of the most important aspects of the project is one that will not be readily seen. The new road will include storm water pollution filters that will capture and treat polluted run-off from the street before it enters the Los Penasquitos Lagoon. This will create a healthier lagoon and cleaner water at area beaches. Other positive impacts to the lagoon include the removal of non-native plants like ice plant which will be replaced with native wetland species.

Read the Union Tribune Article on this project