The other side of the tracks is now much closer in Encinitas.
Leucadia, a bustling beach neighborhood with shops, restaurants and homes next to Paul Ecke Central Elementary School, finally has its first railroad crossing for cyclists and pedestrians.
The underpass runs between North Coast Highway 101 and Vulcan Avenue, at the east end of El Portal Street. Previously, the only way to legally cross the railroad tracks parallel to the North Coast 101 Freeway was at one of the nearest street crossings, at Encinitas Boulevard or Leucadia Boulevard.
“This is a two-mile stretch that didn’t have a safe and legal crossing,” Mayor Catherine Blakespear said during a tour of the new underpass Thursday. “It’s a huge improvement. This allows for much better connectivity between neighborhoods.”
A ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony for the El Portal crossing was planned for August 6, but on Wednesday morning people were already languishing under the tracks on fresh concrete.
“It’s really beautiful and we’ve been waiting a while,” said Ellen Riffenburgh, who was walking with her daughter Jasmine and dog Aria.
“I live nearby and I’ll probably use it every day,” Riffenburgh said. “Usually it’s quite a long way. It’s really fast with this one.”
Planning and design began approximately six years ago, and construction took two years.
The sub-cross cost a little more than $12 million, of which about $4 million came from a state grant and most of the rest from the city’s general fund.
The west side of the underpass opens onto a new roundabout at the intersection of El Portal and North Coast Highway 101. It’s the first of four roundabouts Encinitas plans to install as part of its Streetscape project, along with wider sidewalks, more parking, trees, benches and landscaping .
People have been crossing the railroad illegally, something city officials call a “historic trespass,” since the railroad was built in the 1880s.
But trains are getting faster, quieter and more frequent as California encourages greater use of public transit. The North County Transit District, which operates the railroad, is installing a guardrail along the track to prevent unauthorized access.
“This project is really a partnership between the city, the railroad and SANDAG,” said Sharon Humphreys, director of engineering and construction for the San Diego Association of Governments, the regional area planning agency.
“It was completed on time and on budget,” Humphreys said.
Also, the bridge built for the underpass has room to add another track, she said. About three-quarters of the coastal route from San Diego’s Santa Fe Station to the Orange County border is now double-tracked as part of an effort to increase rail capacity.
Encinitas has another railroad pedestrian crossing that opened in 2013 at the foot of Santa Fe Drive near Swami’s Beach. That project, which also took years, cost about $6 million.
Two more, on Montgomery Avenue and Hillcrest Drive, have been proposed, although no work has been planned for them so far.
