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Council awards $3.8 million pavement contract, keeps Birmingham centerline unchanged
Summary
The council awarded the fiscal year 2024-25 pavement rehabilitation contract to the lowest responsive bidder at roughly $3.8 million and voted to keep the double-yellow centerline on Birmingham Avenue after public concern about a proposed bike lane.
The Encinitas City Council approved a construction contract for the fiscal year 2024-25 pavement rehabilitation project and directed staff not to restripe Birmingham Avenue with a bike lane.
Batter Solomon, engineer with the city's Capital Improvement Program, told the council the pavement rehabilitation design was completed in December 2024 and that staff recommended awarding the base bid and alternates to Quality Construction and Engineering with a total construction cost of $3,800,000 and construction starting in summer 2025. The council voted to award the contract as presented.
At the same meeting the council considered a separate but related restriping proposal for Birmingham Avenue. Cardiff business and community groups and multiple residents told the council that Birmingham's steep grade, narrow lanes and heavy service-vehicle use make it a poor choice for a designated bike lane. Rahul Deshpande and the Cardiff 101 Main Street group urged retaining the current double-yellow centerline and promoting parallel low-traffic streets for bicyclists. MTSC and other commenters cautioned that changes to major arterials should be reviewed by the Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission.
Councilmember O'Hara moved to approve the pavement contract and to keep the Birmingham double-yellow centerline as-is; the motion passed unanimously (Councilmembers Schaeffer and Lyons absent). The staff report said the construction award will be funded from the CS25A pavement replacement fund; with the recommended action, about $150,000 remained in that account.
Why it matters: the pavement project covers multiple streets across the city and will trigger construction impacts this summer. The restriping decision maintains the current driver-bike operating environment on Birmingham and avoids reallocation of pavement width that residents said would reduce vehicle maneuvering space for large service vehicles and emergency access.
Next steps: staff will proceed with contract execution and construction scheduling; maintenance notifications and traffic controls will be posted to affected neighborhoods before work begins.
