Crouch Street Sprinter closure delayed

By: CHRIS TRIBBEY - Staff Writer | Wednesday, April 26, 2006 10:50 PM PDT ∞

OCEANSIDE ---- The start of a three-month closure of Crouch Street, between Skylark Drive and Oceanside Boulevard, has been delayed until May 8, North County Transit District officials said Wednesday.

The street will be closed while the transit district works on the Sprinter rail line, the 22-mile track running from Escondido to Oceanside.

Transit district spokesman Tom Kelleher said he met with the construction contractor and crews Wednesday morning, and everyone agreed "we're just not ready."

The delay comes after area residents complained that they were given last-minute notice by the transit district that the closure was to begin Friday.

Residents have also said the construction will take away the only viable walkway for students attending nearby Lincoln Middle School on California Street and that the closure shouldn't happen until the transit district finishes a promised extension of Oceanside Boulevard to Crouch Street.

"There's no signage up for detours ... and people far and wide use this crossing," said Nadine Scott, who lives in the area. "Notifying the immediate neighbors isn't enough."

The detour will take pedestrians and drivers down South Oceanside Boulevard and across the existing railroad tracks at State Tree Drive, three blocks southwest of Crouch Drive.

Kelleher said detour signs will be up, directing pedestrians and drivers around the work area, and that fencing off the site is a must for safety reasons.

"Our intent is with an active construction site like this, we want (pedestrians) to go around," Kelleher said.

As for the notice to residents about the closure, he said that the transit district does its best to notify residents in advance of a street closure.

"We'd love to give them 10-day notice ... in some cases they don't hear about it," he said.

The $375 million Sprinter project is scheduled for completion at the end of 2007 and will feature 15 stations through Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and Escondido.

Contact staff writer Chris Tribbey at (760) 901-4067 or ctribbey@nctimes.com.

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