Wider sidewalks with new handrails, lighting and stairs to the beach are another step forward for Carlsbad’s popular boardwalk.
Updated plans for the 10-block stretch along the west side of Carlsbad Boulevard between Tamarack and Pine avenues were presented Monday to the city’s Traffic and Mobility Commission, which recommended approval by the City Council.
Built in the 1980s and badly deteriorated by the salt air, the scenic walkway remains a favorite North County attraction for residents and tourists. Lately, however, the four sets of stairs and landings leading down to the winding boardwalk along the beach have lost their luster, with peeling paint, crumbling concrete steps and exposed, rusting rebar.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2025 and could be completed in about 20 months, said Hossein Ajideh, the city’s engineering manager. Public access to the beach will be maintained throughout the work.
The sidewalk between Pine and Maple avenues, now just 3 feet, 10 inches wide, will be extended nearly 8 feet westward. More than 6 feet of the increase will come from extending the cantilevered concrete slab supported by piles beyond the bluff. About 1 foot, 5 inches will come from removing a guardrail on the sidewalk at the side of the road.
Between Maple and Cherry avenues, the existing 8-foot-9-inch sidewalk will be widened 17 inches without going over the cliff. In both sections, sidewalk surfaces will be completely replaced and new 42-inch-high railings will be installed.
A year ago, the city estimated construction costs at $14 million.
Some commissioners on Monday expressed concern about the removal of the railing.
“We’re going to put more pedestrians in danger,” said Commissioner Peter Kohl.
However, city employees said the guardrail was installed many years ago to protect vehicles from falling off the cliff, not for pedestrian safety, and that if a vehicle hits it, the guardrail would bend toward the sidewalk. Additionally, the guardrail is not required by current traffic rules and has become an obstacle for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Lane reductions, crosswalks and other safety features have slowed traffic on Carlsbad Boulevard over the years and reduced the need for guardrails, Ajideh said. Most segments of the boulevard, also known as Highway 101, have no guardrail. Another commissioner said he has seen cyclists stop next to the guardrail and grab onto the steel for support, cutting their hands in the process.
Commissioner Pete Penseyres suggested that staffers collect traffic data to show how many times vehicles have left Carlsbad Boulevard and struck pedestrians. The information could be presented to the City Council when it considers improvement plans later this year.
“You can never make a sidewalk too wide,” Penseyres said.
City officials have been discussing the plan for about two years with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which owns the beach, the cliffs and the landscaped area atop the cliffs. Carlsbad has an agreement with the state that allows the city to maintain the area to higher standards than it would otherwise be as a state park.
The proposal previously included work on the sidewalks and staircase at the Tamarack Avenue restroom building. Those improvements have been postponed and will be part of the separate ADA accessibility project still in design. The project is one of several Carlsbad is working on to make it easier and safer to access the beach, whether by car, bike or walking.
A few years ago, the city improved seven stairs leading to the northernmost beach along Ocean Street, widening some and adding benches, tiles and other features.
Original story in English
Improvements coming to Carlsbad’s bluff-top promenade
