The replacement of the concrete K-rail on Torrey Pines Road will begin Tuesday, Oct. 6, San Diego city spokesperson Tyler Becker confirmed, as first reported by the La Jolla Light.
It is the first time the city has set a firm date for the $3.04 million project, which has been in planning since a car careened off the road and into a Coast Walk yard in January 2018.
San Diego-based Palm Engineering will install approximately 420 feet of metal bridge rail on the north side of Torrey Pines Road between Prospect Place and Coast Walk. The 42-inch-tall ST-75 bridge rail is see-through and more robust than the temporary concrete barrier that has lined the stretch for more than eight years.
Crews will also replace the sidewalk, curb and gutter, relocate utilities, repave and restripe the roadway, and install new signage. Barring weather or material delays, the work is projected to run through March 2027.
What drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should know
Construction will take place between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays under a city-approved traffic control plan, according to Becker.
During some nighttime shifts, the northern westbound lane of Torrey Pines Road will be closed. The northbound bicycle lane will be closed for the entire duration of the project.
That is a significant change for cyclists.
When sidewalk work begins, pedestrians will be rerouted to a protected path behind a temporary K-rail barrier on the south side of Torrey Pines Road. That path will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Pedestrians will cross to the south side at designated crossings at Prospect Place and the mid-block crossing between Amalfi Street and Princess Street.
The temporary south-side barrier will be removed "upon project completion or when safe to do so," Becker said.
Years of delays
The project was originally slated to start in winter 2025 and finish by summer 2026. City spokesman Caleb Olsen previously told the La Jolla Light the timeline shifted "due to the addition of pothole activity (while) confirming the location of underground utilities."
Palm Engineering's contract began Aug. 3, but actual construction kept getting pushed back. In an Aug. 22 La Jolla Light article, La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board Chairman Erik Gantzel said he had mixed feelings about the latest delay: "Of course I would prefer it start and get it over with as soon as possible, but also I'm enjoying the calm before the storm — if you can call Torrey Pines Road calm."
The city's project fact sheet, dated Sept. 18, lists the total planning, design and construction budget at $3.04 million. Karlene Akers is the city's resident engineer on the project.
Homeowners near the construction zone will receive a flyer one week before work begins, according to Becker.
