Construction of the long-awaited traffic-calming roundabout at Foothill Boulevard and Loring Street in Pacific Beach started on June 30.

District 1 Councilmember Joe LaCava and City officials were joined by a construction crew to usher in the infrastructure-improvement project that was requested by the community with the support of Council District 1.

The project aims to improve safety by constructing a roundabout and curb extension at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Loring Street. There will also be new continental crosswalks with rapid-flashing beacons, curb ramps, and sidewalks.

These improvements will provide traffic calming on Foothill Boulevard and safer access for motorists crossing or turning left onto Foothill Boulevard from Loring Street, reducing the number of accidents in the area.

A Bird Rock resident, LaCava noted a series of similarly designed roundabouts were successfully constructed along La Jolla Boulevard in that community years ago. Asked if the new PB roundabout will be the same as the ones in Bird Rock, LaCava replied, “It’s generally the same,” while adding that individual roundabouts are customized to the layout of the streets, the cross streets, and the topography of the streets that come in. “What I really like about this (roundabout) is it’s going to solve the drainage problem here. If you came here after a rain, you’d see puddles everyplace. And that’s not acceptable anymore.”

In addition, to mitigate flooding that occurs during rain storms, a new drainage system, and green street elements will be installed at the new roundabout, including a modular wetland system.

Addressing the unusual configuration of the Loring-Foothill intersection, LaCava, a civil engineer, noted: “When these streets were built way back when everybody had a different idea. So they laid the streets out in different ways. You can see a lot of variation in the width and alignment, as they were trying to figure out what the streets were ultimately going to look like. So you end up with this kind of mess out here, with way too much asphalt.”

Of the advantages of a roundabout, LaCava said: “It doesn’t eliminate accidents. There’s always that human error, misjudgment. But you’ve got a few more seconds (to respond). The roundabout can do multiple things. One, it will make it much safer to navigate this intersection, no matter which way you want to go, either through or making a left or right. And it will calm the traffic down, which is so important because it’s right in the middle of a residential intersection.”

The council member pointed out roundabouts are more expensive than more traditional traffic-calming measures because you’re fundamentally changing the structure of an intersection. “But it’s a worthwhile investment because it keeps the traffic flowing, allows you to get where you want to go, and you’re eliminating those puddles you see after a rain,” he concluded.

LaCava said San Diegans will likely see more roundabouts constructed in the future. “We’re seeing that a roundabout is a more popular solution because it gets rid of a stop sign or a traffic signal and allows the traffic to flow more smoothly,” he said. “It’s also part of our climate action plan in the City. It’s really going to be beneficial.”

ROUNDABOUT PROJECT

The scope includes:

• Installing a roundabout, truck apron, raised splitter islands with passageways, curb extensions, curb and gutter, sidewalks, curb ramps, continental crosswalks with rapid flashing beacons, driveways, asphalt, and concrete pavement, and signage.

• Installing new storm drainpipes, curb inlets, clean-outs, and modular wetland systems.

• Installing stamped concrete within the raised splitter islands, roundabout, and curb extension areas.

Project timeline: summer through spring 2024. The project’s planning, design, and construction budget, subject to change, is $3 million.