Road project heads into next phase; bridge design stalls
While the San Vicente Road Improvement project is progressing and will soon transition into its next phase, county staff is still trying to get approval from Caltrans for its 13th Street bridge design.
Staff from the county’s Department of Public Works gave a presentation on the two road projects at the Ramona Community Planning Group’s May 7 meeting.
In mid-June, the county plans to begin shifting traffic on San Vicente Road to newly-created roadway as crews transition into stage 2, said project manager Michael Long. The shift will be over four to six weeks, he said.
During stage 2, drivers will have slightly wider lanes that will still be bordered by k-rails, Long said, and more turnout areas will be available.
County planners have been meeting with emergency services on a regular basis, he said.
“We’re coordinating efforts with them...and they’re comfortable with what we’re planning on,” he said.
This shift in some areas will allow crews to work on water services, storm drains and undergrounding utilities, he said.
Although stage 2 was supposed to start a couple of months ago, Long said crews found they could get more stage 1 work completed without affecting the completion date.
“We’re approximately a third of the way through,” he said, adding the completion is expected in spring 2016.
When resident Lynn Hopewell said she was concerned about drivers speeding in the 40 mph zone and passing on blind curves and over double yellow lines, Long said that was a concern he discussed with Mario Trejo, general manager of the San Diego Country Estate Homeowners Association
“We had our resident engineer sit near one of the speed signs for about 15 minutes the other day and observed exactly what you said,” responded Long.
The project manager said some drivers were clocked at 58 mph, and he has asked California Highway to step up patrols.
The design for the 13th Street bridge to cross the Santa Maria creek bed, giving better access to downtown from Maple and Walnut streets, was presented by DPW Project Manager Christopher Hanger. Funding is being provided by a Federal Highway Administration grant. Because Caltrans will be administering the grant, it has to approve the plan, according to the county.
Hanger said he submitted the plans to Caltrans in September and is waiting for approval, but the county and state agency have differed on the design.
Hanger’s plans call for a 52-foot wide bridge with two 12-foot lanes, a 10-foot trail, 6-foot sidewalk and two 3-foot shoulders, with railings on both sides and a railing dividing the trail from the roadway. His proposed bridge has four spans and be about 470-feet long. Hanger said he initially proposed a wider bridge, while Caltrans only wanted it to be 36-feet wide.
“Your design is the ideal design for our community,” said Piva.
However, planner Jim Cooper said he was not in favor of the trail on the bridge, citing safety concerns and added expense. He suggested dropping the trail below the bridge and sloping it back up, saying it has been done in Orange County.
Hanger said that would raise the floodway, and would complicate matters.
“When you start putting things in the river bed all of a sudden you’ve raised that water level again so that’s what we’re trying to avoid here,” said Hanger.
To help push the approval process, planners voted to send a letter to state representatives in support of the design with Cooper being the lone dissenter. Members Torry Brean and Paul Stykel were absent.