Road project on Route 78 in Escondido begins this month – The San Diego Union-Tribune

A long-planned, $14.3 million project to replace the pavement along a five-mile stretch of state Route 78 through the city of Escondido, and also make safety and technology improvements, is getting underway this month.

The project will be overseen by Caltrans, the state Department of Transportation, and funded through SB 1, an increase in the states gasoline tax and vehicle registration fees dedicated to improvements to roads, freeways and bridges. The increased fees took effect in 2017 and 2018.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in earnest in mid-February, and continue until the expected completion date in early November, said Kareem Scarlett, project manager with Caltrans. The bulk of the work will be carried out at night, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, to minimize disruption to traffic in the area, and increase safety for workers.

The five-mile route of the project begins at SR-78 and Broadway, and heads south on Broadway to Washington Avenue, where it turns east. At Ash Street, the route turns south and the work will end at Flora Vista Street, a few blocks past Bear Valley Parkway.

Along with removing the existing pavement and replacing it with a longer-lasting overlay, workers will install 83 new curb ramps that comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, or ADA, said Stephen Welborn, a spokesman with the San Diego Caltrans office.

The project will also include new guardrails, traffic signal upgrades at 12 intersections, and the installation of fiber optic cable to enhance communication along the Caltrans roadway network. In addition, crews will install V2I modules, which will provide real-time traffic information to vehicles equipped with the latest telecommunications technology, Scarlett said.

Traffic lanes will be marked to let motorists know to share the lanes with bicyclists, known as sharrows, said Welborn.

Scarlett said the original engineering estimate for the project was $19 million, but bids came in lower than expected due to a slowdown in the construction industry related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first phase of the project will be the replacement of curb ramps, Scarlett said, and crews will then begin removing and replacing sections of the roadway.

The Caltrans officials warned some of the work will be noisy, including backup alarms, jackhammering and saw-cutting.

The grinding operation (to remove existing pavement) is not quiet, Scarlett said.

The project should not result in road closures, said Welborn, although there may be temporary closures of driveways during the construction work. He said Caltrans will work with the city of Escondido, through social media and electronic message boards to provide updates about the work. Apartment complex managers will also be provided construction updates.

Well be reaching out to those folks and letting them knows whats going on, Scarlett said.

The V2I modules that will be installed during the project will be able to relay traffic information to vehicles equipped with the technology, such as Teslas, said Scarlett. Other manufacturers will also be including the technology with newer models, he said.

The module can provide real-time traffic information, such as telling drivers the optimum speed that will allow them to hit all green lights on their route.

Welborn said the units have been installed in several places in San Diego County, such as a dedicated bus lane on I-805, a car-pool lane on I-15, and units at Taylor Street and I-8. Nine Caltrans vehicles are currently equipped with V2I technology, and they can display wrong-way and speed limit messages, among other information.

Drivers should notice a much smoother ride on the section of SR-78 after the pavement is replaced. Scarlett said the crews will use a super strong type of asphalt, similar to material used on airport runways. The new roadway surface will last longer than the material currently in place.

A way better ride will come out of this project, Scarlett said.

The community has long been asking for improvements on this particular stretch of SR-78. Scarlett recalled giving a presentation 18 months ago to the Escondido Rotary Club, and audience members brought up the poor state of the road and asked when it would be fixed.

Were looking forward to constructing a facility that meets those standards, Scarlett said.

Members of the public who have questions or concerns about the SR-78 project can reach Caltrans at 619-688-6670.

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Road project on Route 78 in Escondido begins this month - The San Diego Union-Tribune