Carlsbad officials have taken a significant step toward investigating whether railroad tracks running through the Village and Barrio neighborhoods can be lowered below street level, after the City Council this week authorized a cooperative agreement to begin preliminary studies.
The council approved the agreement with the San Diego Association of Governments and North County Transit District on Tuesday, clearing the way for preliminary engineering work and environmental review. The proposed project would add a second rail line while placing both tracks below grade along a corridor roughly spanning from Agua Hedionda Lagoon to Buena Vista Lagoon. City officials say the change could improve rail capacity while addressing safety and traffic issues in the area.
Funding for the preliminary phase has been obtained through federal and state sources, according to City Manager communications released Thursday. The SANDAG board is expected to vote on the agreement later this year, with study work potentially beginning in 2027 and wrapping up by 2030. City staff emphasized the importance of understanding design requirements and cost projections before deciding whether to advance the project further, given the anticipated high expense.
In other infrastructure news, emergency work is underway along south Carlsbad Boulevard to stabilize coastal bluffs ahead of forecasted El Niño weather conditions. Crews are placing boulders weighing between two and six tons along the shoreline north of the Las Encinas Creek bridge, work that began following a local emergency declaration on September 9. The stabilization project is expected to continue through the end of this year.
The City Council also approved plans to resurface more than 45 miles of city streets in 2027 using slurry seal treatment, a preventive maintenance approach designed to extend pavement life by five to seven years at lower cost than full overlays.