Workshop participants review the six alternative design concepts for the Coronado Gateway Project.
The second workshop for the Coronado Gateway Project was held on Thursday, June 4 at the Community Center. Ms. Stephanie Cheng and Howard Blackson of the consulting firm of Michael Baker International presented six alternative concepts for the design of the bridge toll plaza to an audience of 32 residents.
The six design alternatives are based on the discussion at the first workshop on January 28, 2015, meetings held with local stakeholder groups, the results of an on-line survey, and additional resident feedback. Through this dialogue, which was the first step of a three step process, the community has identified five goals for the redesign of the toll plaza. First, it should calm traffic entering the city. Second, it should create opportunities for the north/south movement of pedestrians and cyclists. Third, it should generally improve safety at the entrance to the city. The redesign should also incorporate architectural elements, art, landscaping, and signage, and, finally, it should build on the character of Coronado.
Over 600 participants in the process have provided more than 750 comments and recommendations. Comments related to traffic calming ranged from general recommendations that included, “Clearly indicate the highway ends and a small town begins” to the specific, “How about a couple of speed bumps, it works on Glorietta” and “Put a friction device in the pavement to make tires rumble and cars vibrate.” The comment, “Create a pedestrian and bicycle overpass” reflected the view of many. Others simply said that the redesign should be, “Pedestrian and bicycle friendly.” Another sentiment was that the existing bicycle and pedestrian pathway under the bridge is sufficient as expressed in the comment, “There is already a pedestrian bike connection under the bridge down there. I would say to fix that up and make it nicer if necessary.”
Thoughts about architectural elements, art, landscaping, and signage included a “mural of life in Coronado,” a “beautiful welcoming arch with Coronado’s name on it,” and “simple beautiful landscaping without some grand tourist attraction that would only increase spectator traffic.” Coronado’s character that should be reflected in the design was described as a “Combo of history, architecture and Norman Rockwell feel.” Another comment described Coronado “as a close-knit, relaxing, and progressive beach community.” The desire is to have the city’s entrance be a “Reflection of present values: Coronado’s Past and Coronado’s Future.”
Strong opinions were also expressed about the “wing” above where the toll booths had been located. Succinct comments on the subject included, “Keep the Wing!” and “Tear it down.” Another comment offered the view, “I see the value in the history of the wing structure but it was designed as a toll booth, so obsolete.” While the wing garnered several passionate comments, the choice to “either keep the iconic structure and enhance it as a garden pedestrian bridge (like the New York High Line) or remove it entirely” was offered. It was also noted, “I have encountered the ‘wing’ for 40+ years and did not realize it was a wing until now.”
Other comments focused on how the redesign of the toll plaza could be used to redirect traffic in Coronado. Several comments were similar to the remarks, “Incorporate an underpass in an area to have traffic not go through town and use Glorietta Blvd or Beach side of golf course to get to the strand.” Reinstatement of the toll was also the theme of several comments similar to, “We need to reinstate the toll. We are so worried about too much traffic and fearing the city will put in stop lights!!! Let’s just go to bat and get the toll back on the bridge.”
The second step in the process was the development of the six design alternatives that range from relatively modest changes in the toll plaza to much more imaginative proposals. Presented below are the images of the design alternatives and a brief description of each of them. The estimated costs are not all inclusive but provide an indication of the relative cost of each proposal.
The next and final step in the process will be for the consultant to develop a single proposed design alternative and to incorporate design elements such as a pedestrian bridge, sculpture, signage, water features, and landscaping. The proposed alternative will be based on feedback from the workshop where the participants were asked to place “colored” dots on the design alternatives and design elements that they favored and to make comments on what they liked or opposed. The results of an online survey, which is available at www.Coronadogateway.com, will also be considered. The online survey will be available until July 4, and the consultant plans to have its proposed design concept completed by the end of August.
Design Alternative: Improve Existing. This alternative would clean up the existing “wing” structure, narrow the traffic lanes, and move the incoming travel lanes closer to the median to reduce traffic speeds while maintaining the existing capacity of the roadway. The surplus right-of-way created by narrowing the traffic lanes and utilizing the inner lanes, which are presently blocked by barrels, would create opportunities for additional landscaping on the east side of the road. This would be the least expensive alternative with an estimated cost of under $5 million.
Design Alternative: Remove Structure. This scheme is similar to the Improve Existing alternative except it would remove the “wing” structure and the building used by the Highway Patrol. While the estimated cost is less than $5 million, it would be more expensive than the Improve Existing scheme since it would require additional demolition.
Design Alternative: Roundabout. This scheme would replace the existing toll plaza structures with a roundabout. The curvature of the roundabout would encourage slower speeds while still allowing traffic to flow freely as it entered and departed the city. The center of the roundabout could be landscaped, used for signage, or include other design elements such as a sculpture or water feature. Its estimated cost is between $5 and $10 million.
Design Alternative: Boulevard. This concept would narrow the traffic lanes and right-of-way to reduce speeds while maintaining the capacity of the roadway. Medians and landscaping would be used to create a narrowed gateway effect. A total of 6.2 acres of buffer would be created on each side of the road providing the opportunity for additional landscaping. The estimated cost of this concept is between $5 and $10 million.
Design Alternative: Curved Alignment. This scheme is a variation on the Boulevard. It curves the roadway to encourage slower speeds while maintaining capacity. A pedestrian overpass is shown in this alternative but it could be included in any of the other schemes. The estimated cost of this alternative excluding the pedestrian overpass is between $5 and $10 million.
Design Alternative: Cut and Cover. This is the most imaginative of the solutions. The roadway would be placed under 11.2 acres of new park space between the golf course and Tidelands Park. This area could be used for recreation. Its estimated cost is in excess of $50 million.
John Tato
Staff Writer
