Carlsbad

A two-mile stretch of coastal highway will be closed for six months beginning next week to allow for reconstruction of the bridge over the mouth of Agua Hedionda Lagoon, Carlsbad officials said Wednesday.

Pat Entezari, an associate engineer with the city, said the busy stretch of Carlsbad Boulevard (S21) between Tamarack Avenue and Cannon Road would be closed beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday. The roadway is scheduled to be reopened May 1.

The closure will require both motorists and bicyclists to detour onto Interstate 5, Entezari said. Because the coastal highway is heavily traveled by bicyclists, the state Department of Transportation is letting them use the shoulder of the freeway while the bridge is under construction.

Notices of the popular highway’s closure and maps of the I-5 detour are being sent to coastal cities from Santa Monica to San Diego, Entezari said.

The $2.4-million reconstruction project will replace the concrete bridge, which was built in 1950 and has deteriorated, and widen it from two to four lanes, Entezari said. The road will also be widened, and a 10-foot parking strip will be built on the west side of the highway from the bridge south to Cannon Road. Bicycle lanes will also be built, he said.

The project, contracted by San Diego-based Daley Construction Co., was approved by the Carlsbad City Council several months ago.