Oceanside, CA –The North County Transit District (NCTD), in conjunction with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), CalTrans District 11, HDR Engineering Inc., and Flatiron – Skanska – Stacy – Witbeck (FSSW) have won for “Transit/Rail Project of the Year” for the San Elijo Lagoon Double Track Project at the 31st Annual California Transportation Foundation (CTF) Transportation Award winners in several categories. The CTF Transportation Awards recognize excellence in California transportation in 2019, all modes, public and private sector and from all regions of the state.
The San Elijo Double Track project was a rail improvement project that extended between the cities of Encinitas and Solana Beach. The project added 1.5 miles of second main track from Cardiff-by-the-Sea to the southern border of the San Elijo Lagoon, and replaced the more than 80-year-old wooden trestle San Elijo Lagoon rail bridge with a modern, double-track, concrete bridge.
The new double track creates more than four miles of continuous double track on the LOSSAN coastal rail corridor, eliminating the need for meeting or passing trains to take turns using the single track.
Other improvements included:
- Adding a new pedestrian undercrossing at the south end of the lagoon
- Upgrading signaling and safety at the Chesterfield Drive grade crossing
- Reconfiguring a rail switch
- Constructing a low retaining wall north of the lagoon to keep the rail tracks separated from the lagoon inlet below the height of the railroad
The project is also compatible with the extension of the Coastal Rail Trail for bikes and pedestrians in Encinitas. The Coastal Rail Trail is a 44-mile system of planned bike facilities between the cities of Oceanside and San Diego. This bike trail is intended to provide a safe and comfortable bike riding environment that is separated from motor vehicle traffic.
Find the San Elijo Lagoon Double Track video here.
