Twin Oaks connector road opens quietly

By: DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer

SAN MARCOS -- A few thousand motorists shortened their commutes Thursday by using a new five-lane road that connects southern San Marcos and the coast with destinations along the eastern portion of Highway 78.

San Marcos city officials said they expect thousands more commuters to begin using the two-mile connector, which is called the Twin Oaks Valley extension, as they discover it in coming weeks and months.

"Things were pretty quiet this morning," said Mike Edwards, San Marcos city engineer, who monitored traffic Thursday on the connector road and the two streets it joined -- Twin Oaks Valley and San Elijo roads. "It looks like it's going to take a while for the traffic to build."

Sparse traffic on the $25 million roadway was welcome news to many residents of San Elijo Hills, an upscale community that has offered mixed reviews of the road while it has been under construction the last three years.

Many of the community's 7,600 residents say they are excited to be connected to Cal State San Marcos and the shops and restaurants of downtown San Marcos, but others say they worry that the added convenience might be outweighed by a dramatic traffic increase on San Elijo Road, where a middle school and elementary school are located.

Resident Harris Thayer said Thursday morning the road is a big plus.

"Shopping has been difficult without the road, because you had to go to Encinitas," said Thayer, explaining that San Elijo Hills residents have been forced to take a long and circuitous route into the center of San Marcos that includes Rancho Santa Fe Road. "This takes you right into town and right to the 78."

But Thayer, who was getting gas at the Chevron Station on San Elijo Road, said he is also concerned about long-term congestion.

"Traffic during rush hour is not bad at all in San Elijo Hills when you consider how many thousand people live here, but I'm curious whether this new road will mean a dramatic increase, especially with people cutting through," said Thayer.

City officials estimate that about 26,000 vehicles a day will use the new stretch of road by 2010. In comparison, the busiest stretch of road in the city is San Marcos Boulevard near Highway 78, with 60,000 vehicle trips per day.

Resident Kathie Bloom said she is most concerned about university students speeding through her neighborhood.

"I think there'll be more college kids coming through here, and they won't care that it's a school zone," said Bloom, who was jogging along the new road Thursday morning with her dog, Jake. "There's pros and cons, but I've been looking forward to this because Ralphs and Starbucks are right on the other side of the road."

There was almost no visible traffic increase in the San Elijo town center on Thursday, according to Jim Fiegen, who works in the community's visitor center.

"Traffic has been really light this morning," said Fiegen. "We're thinking in about three weeks or so it will cycle up to the level we will end up with."

Fiegen said it is inevitable that commuters will begin using the road as a new east-west connector.

"Just about everyone in North County is looking for more efficient ways to get where they're going," said Fiegen. "We're willing to try any possibility to see if it pans out."

It will probably be several more months before drivers with global positioning systems become aware of the new east-west shortcut. A spokesman for the industry said navigation system maps are typically updated every 12 to 18 months.

Janet McDaniel, an education professor at Cal State San Marcos who lives in La Costa, said Thursday that she plans to experiment with the new road to see if it is faster than her current route along Rancho Santa Fe Road and San Marcos Boulevard.

"We've all been looking forward to this road for years," McDaniel said.

San Marcos fire Chief Todd Newman said the new road is already making San Elijo Hills a safer place by improving firefighter access to the community. Paramedics responded to a medical emergency late Wednesday night using the new road, and Newman said the response took only four minutes, about half the normal time.

"We can get a lot more resources down there a lot more quickly for structure fires or wildland fires," said Newman.

Workmen were planting trees and sprucing up the landscaping along the new road Thursday morning.

Councilman Chris Orlando, who lives in San Elijo Hills, said residents should check out the views of the city and the university from the steep road. "It's very scenic," he said.

-- Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 740-5468 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.