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New Faraday Ave. section won't open until fall
By: BARBARA HENRY - Staff Writer | ∞
CARLSBAD --- Drivers may think it looks ready to go, but they can't use the new 1.3-mile section of Faraday Avenue to escape the congestion on Palomar Airport Road until October.
And maybe not even until mid-way through that month.
The road's builders -- TechBilt Construction -- asked the city late last week to delay the early October grand opening celebration by a few weeks, saying work won't be completed until then. The city is planning to send out inspectors to assess the situation, city traffic engineer Bob Johnson said Monday.
Doug Woods, project manager for TechBilt, said that much of what remains unfinished is in spots that a casual observer wouldn't see. Work on sewer manhole areas and hooking up the underground electrical lines make that list, he said.
In addition, landscaping along the road isn't done, Woods said.
The $16 million project runs from the western edge of the Vista city limits at Melrose Drive to Orion Way in Carlsbad. Combining the new road with older sections of Faraday to the west, a Vista resident could travel through much of Carlsbad's business park region and emerge near Interstate 5 at Agua Hedionda Lagoon.
Completing Faraday has long been sought as a way to ease congestion on Palomar Airport Road. A regional road forecast for 2010 calls for the new Faraday Avenue segment to handle 28,000 to 32,000 vehicles a day, Johnson said.
"We're definitely looking forward to get that roadway open," he said.
However, he added, the city is "somewhat limited in how much we can push them" because Carlsbad isn't paying for the work. It's a city requirement on Techbilt's Carlsbad Oaks North business park project.
The new segment of Faraday was initially forecast to open well before the latest part of Melrose Drive opened in 2006. In fact, the two road projects were linked by Carlsbad officials who said both should open at the same time in order to avoid traffic troubles.
But the Faraday project ran into environmental and legal problems and its opening date was delayed. At one point last year, the forecast was for it to open early this year; later it became spring and then summer, Johnson said.
At this point, most of the big items are done, Woods said. TechBilt could open the road and do the manhole work afterward, but that would mean having vehicles very near the workers, he said.
That is a concern for the city, too, Johnson said.
"It's always better to get everything completed before we put traffic on a road ... from a safety standpoint," he said.
This is one of two road projects that are required as part of the Carlsbad Oaks development. The second -- a roughly half-mile segment of El Fuerte north of Loker Avenue -- isn't as far along as the Faraday Avenue project, Woods said. It still needs paving and its grand opening date isn't yet set, he said.
The business park portion of the project also still is a work in progress. Building "pad" areas near the future Faraday Avenue is mostly completed, but other phases won't be done at least until mid-way through next year, Woods said.
-- Contact staff writer Barbara Henry at (760) 901-4072 or bhenry@nctimes.com.
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thanks Ray and Bud wrote on Aug 28, 2007 7:19 AM:30,000 more cars on I5 in the morning. No Worries, that freeway has plenty of capacity. Common on Carlsbad keep pumping out the tilt ups, golf couses, and box homes. Don't beleive the reports, there is plenty of water and capacity on the roads. Plus- people love living in Generica, CA. Thanks Bud for a job well done.
John wrote on Aug 28, 2007 8:11 AM:Do the developers have Buddy in their back pocket or what? Welcome to the concrete jungle.
To "thanks Ray and Bud" wrote on Aug 28, 2007 10:18 AM:Maybe a reading lesson is in order for you? To quote the article, it states "Completing Faraday has long been sought as a way to ease congestion on Palomar Airport Road. A regional road forecast for 2010 calls for the new Faraday Avenue segment to handle 28,000 to 32,000 vehicles a day, Johnson said." As you can see, it says nothing about 30,000 more cars, but instead says that these are vehicles that are redirected and probably currently use Palomar Airport road. Reading is good... but comprehending is the goal.
The Good Life wrote on Aug 28, 2007 10:35 AM:Hey, I happen to enjoy shopping and sitting in traffic -- that's why I decided to pay the big premium to live here. Looking forward to some upscale Walmart shopping soon (wink, wink).
Jerry A wrote on Aug 28, 2007 11:01 AM:Very unfortunate that we continue to wait for this road. Also unnoticed is the fact that there is almost no gas stations in the area. Anything in the plans to address that, sadly, probably not. The first comment is on the mark. More buildings, golf courses, box buildings etc... We all thought Melrose would help but have you waited on Palomar Airport Rd to make that left turn??? I work 3 miles from my home yet some nights it takes 25 minutes to make that 3 mile trip...
Oh Brother... wrote on Aug 28, 2007 11:46 AM:Boy, is this typical, or what??? That section was supposed to open in 2006 and the last article I read in NCT, said it was supposed to open by the end of August...well look what date it is??!?!
The Kingdom wrote on Aug 28, 2007 11:50 AM:..oh the Kingdom of Alt Karlsbat must be rolling in joy. They just love not opening roads and this time they don't even have to accept the blame and come up with some lame reason. Let the developer do it for them.
Par for BUDDY wrote on Aug 28, 2007 1:15 PM:Hey, buddy et al didn't let a plane crash with 2 deaths DELAY the opening of the $$$$$$$$ golf course, right? Hurry, get rid of the debris, add $$$$$ to clean up, open that course! But roads or safe sidewalks or even yellow crosswalk? Ha, school opens tomorrow in Carlsgood, guess how many young children have no sidewalks or crosswalks? Pray for the children at the mercy of 'late to work' parents zooming around school zones.
See wrote on Aug 28, 2007 1:19 PM:This is why I don't buy cars in Carlsbad. The city is so slow in opening up needed transportation routes to ease traffic, that I chose to buy elswhere. In the past 16 years, I have bought 27 cars and trucks for the business, from somewhere else then Carlsbad because of this! Car Country dealers take note!
More Traffic wrote on Aug 28, 2007 3:00 PM:Way to go Bud. You complain that people are only cutting through Calsbad to get to I-5. If that's the case, then I guess all these new office complexed built in Carlsbad these last few years don't have employees. Get a clue!!! These are creating most of the traffic. Now with all these offices, where are people going to get lunch or gas? Did you ever think of that? Try letting someone open up a drive thru fast food joint and a gas station so we don't always have to go out to Vista. Your moratorium on drive thru restaurants is rediculous. Just look at the parking problems at the new Staples center at Loker & Palomar at lunch time. Maybe I should just move my business over to the Vista Business Park.
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