Changes to Borchard Road to Be Weighed

The City Council today will consider a series of changes to make Borchard Road safer.

While a portion of the road’s extension will still have a 12% grade, which some call dangerously steep, the city is considering making improvements that include a traffic light at Borchard Road and Los Vientos Drive, a center divider to separate traffic on Borchard Road and a lighted pedestrian crossing system for the Dos Vientos neighborhood.

City staff members say their recommendations will cost $563,200.

“There have been a number of questions raised about safety, so what we elected to do here is put enhancements over and above what would normally be required in response to those questions raised by residents in the area,” said Don Nelson, the city’s public works director.

City officials say the signal will stop Borchard Road traffic to allow Los Vientos Drive traffic to cross, make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street and reduce accidents.

The barrier, which would be in the median on the road’s downhill side, will separate traffic and reduce the chance that cars will cross over into oncoming traffic, officials said.

But opponents of the controversial road say the improvements won’t do the one thing they really want--make the road less steep.

“There is only one thing that is going to cure the safety problem, and that’s reducing the grade,” said Ed Masry, a lawyer representing the project’s opponents in a $661-million lawsuit against the developers.

“All the city is trying to do is sugarcoat and give a placebo to the people. No matter what you do, [the grade] is at 12%,” he said. “These safety features may save some injuries, but they’re not going to cure the problem.”