ENCINITAS — A public workshop scheduled for April 19 for the public to get a preview of the potential rail-crossing options for Montgomery Avenue has been postponed.
City officials said the meeting, which was to be held at Cardiff Elementary School, is being delayed to give city engineers time to change the plans to reflect the recent change in the preferred alignment of the Coastal Rail Trail through Cardiff.
“We are trying to get as much information out to the public, and it was decided there wasn’t enough time to get all of the information ready and do as much publicity for it,” Deputy Public Works Director Ed Deane said. “We need to update all of our displays so they have current information.”
The city has been working on a proposed at-grade rail crossing at Montgomery Avenue since last year, when the council awarded consultant contracts to begin design work.
The state Public Utilities Commission, which regulates rail crossings, requires cities to study multiple options for the crossing, including underground crossings and bridge crossings. City staff unveiled a rough sketch of the two latter options at the March 30 council meeting.
The City Council voted at that meeting to switch its preferred alignment from east of the railroad tracks along San Elijo Avenue to along Coast Highway 101. Staff must now update those drawings to reflect the change to the east side of the crossing, which no longer would connect to the rail trail.
“We have to redesign how we get from Montgomery to the crossing for all three alternatives, and we have to make it work without the rail trail,” Deane said.
No date has been set for rescheduled meeting, but Deane said they are aiming for a late May date.
