State OKs Widening of Palomar Airport Road Bridge at I-5

The state Coastal Commission on Tuesday approved the widening of the Palomar Airport Road bridge over Interstate 5 from two lanes to seven, despite concerns by the commission staff that construction would block access to the coast in southern Carlsbad.

The $11-million project will be funded in part by pending and future development planned in the South Carlsbad area, including a Price Club to be built at the southeast corner of Paseo del Norte and Palomar Airport Road.

The widening will remedy the twice-daily bottleneck that occurs at the Palomar Airport Road junction with I-5, backing up traffic on the off-ramps and on the freeway itself.

Under Carlsbad’s growth management plan, the bridge improvements must be ready for use before a number of major developments, including hotels, industrial parks and a major shopping center, are allowed to open, said Gary Wayne, assistant city planning director.

Wayne explained that Palomar Airport Road, an east-west arterial, already has been widened east of the freeway to six-lane and four-lane widths to accommodate growth in the area that was once part of the Paul Ecke Ranch flower fields.

An investigation ended concerns of the commission staff that an endangered plant species would be harmed by the work, according to Bill Pounder of the commission’s San Diego County office.

However, the commission staff recommended that all construction be halted during the summer to allow Palomar Airport Road to be open as a beach access route--a recommendation opposed by Carlsbad and the state Department of Transportation because of the delays that the summer work stoppage would cause.

On Tuesday, the commission, meeting in San Francisco, approved a compromise that requires two bridge lanes to remain open during the construction.

John Cahill, Carlsbad city projects director, said that Palomar Airport Road is not only a major city artery but also a major regional route designated by the San Diego Assn. of Governments. It serves as an east-west alternative route for thousands of North County commuters, easing traffic congestion on California 78, the only east-west freeway in the North County.

Included in the $1-million improvements will be the widening of the crossing over three eastbound and four westbound lanes on Palomar Airport Road, the additions of sidewalks and traffic signals at the on- and off-ramps to I-5, widening of the ramps and installation of metering devices to monitor traffic flowing onto the freeway.