Traffic board approves request for red curb on La Jolla Boulevard near residential alley

A request for a red curb to replace a gray one on La Jolla Boulevard south of Marine Street got unanimous approval from the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board.

During the board’s virtual meeting Dec. 15, Jeanne Liem, who lives in the 7300 block of La Jolla Boulevard, reiterated the request that her husband, Benjamin, made at T&T’s October meeting for a red curb between 7330 and 7336 La Jolla Blvd.

Liem’s property, along with four others, can be accessed only via an alley off La Jolla Boulevard between Marine Street and Sea Lane. She asked for the gray curb just north of the alley to be repainted red to prohibit parking there and increase visibility and safety for those who use the alley.

She said cars parked in the gray area create “a total blind spot. ... I cannot see any oncoming traffic.”

Liem said she has to pull further into the southbound lane on La Jolla Boulevard to see traffic, which is “dangerous.”

A gray curb would be repainted red between 7330 and 7336 La Jolla Blvd. under a proposal approved by the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board.

(Bing Maps and La Jolla Light)

Liem showed signatures and text messages from the owners and occupants of the other properties adjacent to the alley in support of repainting the curb.

Jim Lin, who owns the property fronting the proposed red curb, spoke in support of the idea. “I think the public safety is much, much more important than just one single person’s convenience to park there.”

T&T Chairman Brian Earley noted that a 6-foot red curb is currently there, which he said “is not enough to see anything coming.”

Earley moved to ask the city of San Diego to paint the requested stretch of curb red and repaint a red curb farther north on La Jolla Boulevard at the southwest corner of Marine Street gray to compensate for the parking loss. That red curb was painted for a bus stop that no longer exists, he said.

Earley said he would forward the board’s approval to city traffic engineer Gary Pence.

Other T&T news

Water and sewer main replacement: The board unanimously approved a San Diego project to replace about 3.37 miles of water distribution mains and 1.22 miles of sewer mains in the La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Heights neighborhoods.

The work will begin in March 2023, city project engineer Reyna Rendon Rojas said, with completion anticipated in March 2025.

Rendon Rojas, an assistant civil engineer with the city’s Engineering & Capital Projects Department, said much of the water and sewer main replacement will occur on La Jolla Scenic Drive North, Dunaway Drive, Cliffridge Avenue, Robinhood Lane and Nottingham Place, with smaller portions of replacement happening in the surrounding area.

“We’re also going to be adding some curb ramps,” she said.

La Jolla’s Traffic & Transportation Board approved replacement of water mains (shown in red) and sewer mains (in green).

(Courtesy of city of San Diego)

The project’s budget is about $12.33 million and is part of the city’s program to replace aging and deteriorating water and sewer mains, Rendon Rojas said.

“Replacements will reduce the future water and sewer main breaks and reduce maintenance requirements,” she said. “The program will also bring existing water and sewer mains up to current standards.”

Rendon Rojas noted that “a lot of the systems [in La Jolla] are around 100 years [old], so we definitely want to replace them.”

“Once we’re ready to go into construction, the contractor will be sending door hangers with approximate dates of construction” to affected residents, along with notices of any planned interruptions to water service, she said.

“All the streets that will be trenched will be resurfaced after all the work is completed and accepted by the city,” Rendon Rojas said.

The work will be done in phases to avoid impacting the whole area at once, she added.

Earley noted that the project will be near the current construction site of the Hillel Center but added that the Hillel construction will be done by the time the water and sewer main project begins in 2023.

Rendon Rojas said residents who have questions about the project can email engineering@sandiego.gov.

Next meeting: The La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board next meets at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, online. To learn more, email bearley1@san.rr.com. ◆