{"id":462525,"date":"2026-09-13T12:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T12:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462525\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T12:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T12:38:11","slug":"engineering-study-finds-coast-highway-bridge-in-encinitas-in-poor-condition-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462525\/","title":{"rendered":"Engineering study finds Coast Highway bridge in Encinitas in \u2018poor\u2019 condition \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new engineering assessment of Encinitas\u2019s 46 bridges has found that one along Coast Highway 101 over the inlet to San Elijo Lagoon is in \u201cpoor\u201d condition, but city officials say renovation plans already are being considered.<\/p>\n

However, it could be about five years before any construction activity actually starts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an arduous process,\u201d city Engineering Department Director Dan Nutter said during Wednesday\u2019s City Council meeting. \u201cIt is going to take us some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because Encinitas needs to work with the state Department of Transportation to determine the scope of the construction project, he said. The big issue is what constitutes \u201crepair\u201d and what is considered \u201cbetterment,\u201d or improvements to the structure, Nutter and others said.<\/p>\n

Repairs will be covered by grant money, which Encinitas has heard it will receive, plus about $3.5 million in city matching money.<\/p>\n

Any major improvements \u2014 say widening the narrow pedestrian walkway \u2014 will fall in the improvement category and Encinitas will need to pay the full cost of that, Nutter said.<\/p>\n

\"Encinitas,Encinitas, CA \u2013 September 10: Pillars for a bridge on Coast Highway 101 are seen above the San Elijo Lagoon inlet on September 10, 2026 in Encinitas, CA. (K.C. Alfred \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Council member Joy Lyndes, who represents the Cardiff region that includes the bridge, said there\u2019s no doubt that area residents will want \u201cbetterments\u201d to the bridge, given how many pedestrians and cyclists cross it daily. And, it\u2019s well worth doing any proposed improvements in conjunction with the anticipated repair work, she said, adding, \u201cWe\u2019re probably never going to have a better opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concrete bridge, which is just south of the San Elijo State Beach campground, has two vehicle lanes in each direction, plus a protected bike lane in each direction and pedestrian walkways on each edge. The western pedestrian walkway, which is the one with the ocean views, is more popular with walkers, but less wide than the east side one.<\/p>\n

The bridge was originally built in 1934; widened in 1953; and repaired multiple times in recent years, a June 2023 city staff report states. Its \u201cpoor\u201d condition status makes it eligible for a Federal Highway Administration funding program.<\/p>\n

While the new engineering report found that the bridge is \u201cshowing signs of deterioration,\u201d including spots with chipped concrete and rusting rebar, \u201cpoor doesn\u2019t mean unsafe\u201d \u2014 it just means the bridge needs repair work, engineer Kelly Burnell with Kleinfelder, Inc., told the council.<\/p>\n

In January, the council awarded a $270,000 contract to Kleinfelder, Inc., to evaluate the city\u2019s 46 bridges and develop a 10-year plan for repairing them. The consulting company assessed nine conventional bridges, 11 culvert bridge structures and 26 pedestrian-only structures.<\/p>\n

\"Encinitas,Encinitas, CA \u2013 September 10: Cyclists ride on a bridge on Coast Highway 101 that crosses the inlet to San Elijo Lagoon on September 10, 2026 in Encinitas, CA. (K.C. Alfred \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cBasic, non-destructive investigation methods were used, including sounding of concrete using hammers, probing of timber members to determine competent depths, and measuring of noted cracks, delaminations or other defects,\u201d the consultants\u2019 report states.<\/p>\n

Only one other bridge structure was found to be in poor condition. It\u2019s a pedestrian bridge over a drainage swale at Leucadia Oaks Park. However, a Town Center Drive bridge over a tributary of Encinitas Creek does show \u201csigns of corrosion and deterioration,\u201d and if this \u201cprogresses or accelerates,\u201d that bridge could shift from the \u201cfair\u201d into the \u201cpoor\u201d category, the report states.<\/p>\n

To view the report, visit:\u00a0https:\/\/encinitas.granicus.com\/MetaViewer.php?view_id=7&clip_id=3916&meta_id=212352<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new engineering assessment of Encinitas\u2019s 46 bridges has found that one along Coast Highway 101 over the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462526,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[7,4779,4601,23,100,3054,74,84,76,75,1696],"class_list":["post-462525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-california","tag-cardiff-by-the-sea","tag-encinitas","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-north-county","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-county","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-top-stories-sdut"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}