Caltrans officials seek public input for environmental studies on SR-67 widening options

Caltrans is seeking public comments to bolster its environmental studies that will be used to determine the practicality of widening state Route 67, and to what extent bike lanes and human and animal crossings could be included in the project.

During a Jan. 27 public scoping meeting held on Zoom, transportation officials discussed the potential for widening SR-67 across 16 miles from Mapleview Street in Lakeside to the Highland Valley/Dye roads intersection in Ramona. The project is a partnership of the California Department of Transportation District 11, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), and the Federal Highway Administration.

The public scoping period is one of the first steps in the environmental process, said Ross Cather, Caltrans district division chief of design and corridor director. Environmental, economic and engineering factors will be considered along with the contributions of technical experts and the public.

“Ultimately, we will recommend preferred options with the least environmental impacts,” Cather said.

The public has until Friday, Feb. 19 to comment on environmental issues such as air, water, noise and wildlife impacts.

Concerns from the public will be addressed in a draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement scheduled to be released in summer 2023, with a final version scheduled for winter 2024. The final document will identify preferred alternatives for widening SR-67 and include recommendations for decision-makers, Caltrans Lead Environmental Planner Debra Soifer said.

Caltrans Project Manager Marvin Canton said mobility and safety will be key in suggesting improvements such as additional lanes, left-turn lanes, slow vehicle turnouts and center line concrete barriers. Complementary improvements could include bus stops, bike paths and lanes, sidewalks, parking lots at trailheads, and crossings for pedestrians and wildlife such as deer, bobcats and mountain lions, Canton said.

SR-67 was known as Julian Road when it was built in 1913, then became a state highway in 1933 and was renamed SR-67 as part of a state highway renumbering system in 1964, Canton said. In recent years, he said drivers’ travel times have increased on this roadway and emergency evacuations have become increasingly inefficient in what is classified as a high-fire severity zone.

The mainly two-lane highway with some passing lanes traverses the communities of Ramona, Poway, Lakeside, Santee and El Cajon, and links Ramonans to the Interstate 15 corridor via Poway Road and Scripps Poway Parkway.

Collisions are a frequent occurrence on SR-67 as Ramona State Routes Subcommittee members have shared with Sandag planners for the past several years. Dan Summers, chair of the subcommittee, said Ramonans have been pushing officials to widen the highway for at least 30 years. Summers and a handful of subcommittee members and community leaders have accelerated their efforts to get a widening project accepted since 2018.

Canton said goals to be addressed include improving wildfire evacuations, reducing travel times, maintaining safety, ensuring multi-modal methods of transportation such as bicyclists and mass transit, and preserving the natural environment.

For planning purposes, SR-67 is divided into six segments, although priorities for ranking which segments will be improved first will be decided after the environmental studies are completed, said Michael Lubich, Caltrans lead project engineer.

The segments are Mapleview Street to Willow Road, 0.75 miles; Willow Road to Vigilante Road, 2.47 miles; Vigilante Road to Scripps Poway Parkway, 4.2 miles; Scripps Poway Parkway to Poway Road, 1.72 miles; Poway Road to Archie Moore Road, 3.35 miles; and Archie Moore Road to Highland Valley/Dye Roads, 2.75 miles.

Lubich presented several alternatives for improving SR-67:

— widening SR-67 to four lanes, adding inside lanes and building bicycle lanes, which would provide six lanes of exit routes for wildfire evacuees and one lane for emergency vehicle access

— widening SR-67 to four standard lanes with a paved median and a bike lane, which would provide five lanes for evacuees and one lane for emergency vehicle access

— widening the outside shoulder of the highway and adding bike lanes, which would provide two exit lanes and one emergency vehicle access lane

— adding two-way bike paths with a standard outside shoulder, which would provide two evacuation lanes and one emergency vehicle lane

— adding a bike path and additional through lane, which would provide three evacuation lanes and one emergency vehicle lane

— adding a median and widening the outside shoulder and adding bike lanes, which would provide three evacuation lanes and one emergency vehicle lane; adding a median and widening the shoulders on both sides of the road, which would provide four evacuation lanes and one emergency lane.

Another alternative would leave SR-67 as it is, making no alterations to the existing roadway.

The combined research will look at factors such as SR-67’s diverse animal and plant species, parks and recreation such as hiking, and archeological, architectural and cultural aspects of the proposed project. Additionally, studies will assess ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building retaining walls or sound barriers and preserving the scenic landscape. Caltrans officials said they will also coordinate with tribal communities on recovering ancient artifacts and remains.

Following the Zoom presentation Caltrans staff answered questions submitted online.

In response to a question on why it takes so long to prepare an environmental review, Soifer said state and federal laws require extensive studies of biological and noise impacts of projects such as these and community comments need to be collected and incorporated in technical studies. Additional time is needed to prepare the draft environmental report and statement and additional public comments will be taken before a final environmental report and statement are released, she said.

Caltrans Environmental Senior Shay Lynn Harrison responded to a question about whether pathways for animal crossings will be acceptable for hikers. Harrison said biological studies will be done as part of the draft environmental report.

“We want to ensure everything we build will be accessible to all,” Harrison said. “The draft document will explain why it can or cannot be accessible to both.”

Another question involved how residents will be notified if their property would be impacted. Canton replied that potential property acquisitions will be studied and as the project enters that phase, property owners would be contacted and informed of the right-of-way process.

When asked for a project timeline and budget, Canton said construction will be scheduled after the final environmental reports are released in winter 2024. The environmental process alone is budgeted for $21 million, he said, but the total project cost will be estimated once the technical studies are done.

“Stay tuned, we will update the project website with more information,” said Canton, who answered another question about the planned parking lot at Mt. Woodson by saying the draft environmental report will study it.

Caltrans seeks comments on environmental topics that can be seen online at https://dot.ca.gov/sr67-improvements.
Comments can be submitted on the website, emailed to D11.SR67Improvements@dot.ca.gov, left by voicemail by calling 619-688-4263, or mailed to Caltrans District 11, Attention Debra Soifer, 4050 Taylor St., MS 242, San Diego, CA 92110. Comments must be submitted by Feb. 19 to be considered as part of the draft environmental report.