Contract approved to fence Oceanside railroad tracks – The San Diego Union-Tribune

The board of directors of the North County Transit District awarded a $407,841 contract last week to Exbon Development Inc. of Garden Grove to install a 6-foot-tall, black vinyl-coated, chain-link fence on both sides of the railroad tracks from Cassidy Street to the Buena Vista Lagoon.

Oceanside is one of three cities, including Del Mar and Encinitas, where the transit district plans to install fencing to keep people off the tracks and prevent injuries and deaths. The number of daily passenger, commuter and freight trains on the coastal rail corridor is expected to almost double in the next 10 years.

Also, trains are becoming faster and quieter with new, more advanced locomotives and track improvements, which makes them more difficult for trespassers to avoid. Fencing is among a number of safety measures that the district is installing, along with cameras, lights, speakers and signs. In all, the project is expected to cost between $2.4 million and $2.8 million for all three cities.

Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez, the citys representative on the NCTD board of directors, said at the boards meeting Thursday that her city approves the installation, but would like to move the right-of-way closer to the tracks in the area of Morse and Cassidy streets to get more room for parking and recreation. Transit officials said that would not interfere with railroad operations and could be worked out.

Unlike in Oceanside, the proposed safety measures have met significant opposition in Solana Beach and Del Mar. The tracks are closest to the coast in Del Mar, where people cross the railroad right-of-way daily to exercise, enjoy the view or go to the beach.

Hundreds of people have written letters to the transit district opposing the plan. The transit district originally announced it would install the fence by the end of 2020, but placed the effort on hold in an attempt to reach a compromise with the cities.

Fencing may cause more harm than good, Del Mar Mayor Terry Gaasterland said in a presentation Thursday to the NCTD board.

The railroad tracks have been on the Del Mar bluffs since 1915, and residents are accustomed to crossing when and where they want. People say theyve learned to look both ways and cross safely. The bluff itself provides a natural barrier in many areas where there is no need to add a fence, Gaasterland said.

It would be incredibly ugly, she said. It will destroy ocean views and coastal sightlines.

In Encinitas, the tracks are not adjacent to the beach, but are parallel to North Coast Highway in the Leucadia community. Residents the say the fence would prevent them from walking across the tracks to reach an area of restaurants, bars and shops known for its funky charm.

Building a fence around the railroad track would degrade the charm we love, wrote resident Kristin Bisely in a Nov. 18 letter to the transit district board. Fences are erected to divide, to privatize and to keep people off and out. That is not charming and that is certainly not the Leucadia way.

The transit district is negotiating possible changes to the plan for Encinitas and Del Mar, but no agreement has been reached so far.

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Contract approved to fence Oceanside railroad tracks - The San Diego Union-Tribune