City to begin long-awaited repaving of Rancho Santa Fe Road

This month, the City of San Marcos will start work on the long-awaited pavement restoration project on Rancho Santa Fe Road between Melrose Drive and Lake Ridge Drive. The anticipated six-month effort will restore 1.3 miles of roadway as part of the City's ongoing commitment to keeping San Marcos streets safe for all motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The Rancho Santa Fe pavement restoration project will deliver several key improvements to the highly traveled corridor including new ADA curb ramps and traffic signal safety cameras, improved signal loops to improve traffic flow, the removal and replacement of existing pavement as well as striping the roadway. The timing of the project was planned so that the least impactful work was done around the start of school.

"This project is a critical step forward for the community and underscores our commitment to a safe and strong San Marcos," said San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones. "We know this is a busy stretch of roadway in our community, which makes the goal of this project - improving traffic flows and ensuring safety during peak hours - that much more important."

The City has directed the contractor to minimize traffic controls during the first two weeks of school so that parent and student traffic will not be impacted. To accommodate this request, some project work will begin on Monday, August 12, with planned worked through Friday, August 16. The work will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will include some lane closures. Two-way traffic will be maintained; however, delays are anticipated so alternate routes are encouraged.

The more significant lane closures will take place later in the fall once school traffic patterns are well established. The entire project should be completed this winter, pending weather conditions. The City is committed to keeping the community well informed about project progress, potential traffic impacts and detours about the project. Residents, schools, businesses and commuters that are directly impacted will receive advance notice of the scheduled work in the area.

During the duration of construction, residents and commuters can expect traffic delays in the working area and are encouraged to take alternate routes. Residents and commuters can also expect large construction equipment, noise, odors, and occasional lane closures and night work during construction.

The City is using an innovative "cold-in-place" paving technique for this project that removes, recycles and reuses the existing asphalt in one step. This process uses fewer materials, is more cost efficient, and reduces the amount of heavy equipment and delays on the roadway.

For more information, please contact the Project Construction Manager Jason Linsdau via email at [email protected] or via phone at 760-802-4718.