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Panel approves Camino del Sur extension

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Environmental impact and expense were two key points of debate raised before the Rancho Penasquitos Planning Board last week before the approval of a four-lane extension to Camino del Sur.

At a cost of approximately $8 million, the extension will stretch north from Park Village to Torrey Highlands, including bike lanes and a landscaped median.

Concerns over the road’s intrusion into the local ecosystem led to plans for a $1 million wildlife corridor, which was ultimately dropped after the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) accompanying the project opposed it.

The corridor would have ranged between 200 to 220 feet in length and provided a way for animals to safely move through the area without crossing over the actual road. The EIR cited cost as a significant factor in opposing the corridor, although Board member John Keating noted it could still be included if environmental groups or citizens wished to privately fund it.

“The wildlife tunnel is not a part of the approved project, but that does not preclude anyone from coming up with the money for it,” Keating said.

“We would allow that, and we would encourage that — we just don’t want to fund it with our community money.”

Also up for debate was the extension’s size. A variety of options were available to the Board, including a two-lane road and a split-level road, but the 4-lane plan proposed by contractor Latitude 33 won over most of the board.

Ted Shaw, an associate of Latitude 33, said based on figures from a traffic analysis, the extension would carry a load of 18,000 trips per day—resulting in it opening at grade “F,” the lowest a road can receive.

“There are a significant number of homes right now down in Park Village that only have one way in and one way out,” Shaw said. “There are people that live north of Park Village that would be going down into that area, plus all the people who do shopping in Torrey Highlands, or go to school there, so people would be moving back and forth.

“Even if you take the highest capacity of a two-lane road, it’s still over the capacity for the road.”

Shaw said that as a four-lane road, the Camino del Sur extension will open as a “B,” facing light congestion throughout the day.

The next step for the project will occur after the public review period ends next week on Monday. Comments on the proposed project will be reviewed and responded to before the extension’s plans are finalized and certified by the city, after which a developer will begin design work.

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