Submitted by Kaleb Dan Mantela
Coronado has shared a symbiotic relationship with Navy personnel since the naval station’s conception as an airfield around the turn of the twentieth century, with the amphibious base also taking root during the Second World War. The city of Coronado supports close to 23,000 residents, a population that fluctuates due to its nature as a tourist destination. Likewise, the naval station and amphibious base employ over 36,000 military and civilian personnel at any given time. With the median home price sitting at $3.1 million in Coronado, most-if not all-military members and civilians commute from across San Diego County over the Coronado Bridge.
The boost in population becomes palpable Monday through Friday, but it turns unbearable when the rush to get home happens at four o’clock. From that point on gridlock encapsulates 4th Street to a teeth-grinding halt as Naval Air Station traffic gets injected with the amphibious bases’ traffic from Orange Avenue. All efforts to evacuate the island become futile as tourists in the summer seasons mix with bewildered locals. Traffic at worst of times stretches into the night, creating a horrid concoction of stress, noise pollution, and vehicle exhaust. This has been going on for years and is not beneficial to anyone involved.
Solutions range from opening Coronado to more housing to reduce commuters, but these ideas are soundly met with venom at City Hall by the grumpiest of islanders. The ferry works fine for those living within the downtown core of San Diego, but the logistics do not work well with families. 4th Street itself is impossible to widen as it would take away from sidewalks, and an already starved inventory of street parking. Alas, keep dreaming about that trolley.
The best and most viable solution is to tear down the traffic signal at the heart of the problem where the traffic bottleneck is at its worst; 4th Street and Orange Avenue. 4th Street is a one-way offering three lanes and gives a straight shot exiting the naval air facility and onto the Coronado Bridge. Orange Avenue is a split four-lane road with a grass median that morphs out of Silver Strand Boulevard, and tangles through Coronado’s downtown area before striking through 4th Street where most drivers need to turn right to get onto the bridge.
The traffic signal at this intersection would be replaced with a roundabout. Roundabouts are circular intersections with a counterclockwise traffic flow that would require entering drivers to yield to oncoming vehicles. It is designed to be smooth, reducing severe collisions along with idling. It also functions as a vehicle calming measure which cuts down the known speeding issues on 4th Street. Pedestrian safety also gets a boost because it reduces crossing distances, and forces drivers to watch for pedestrians from only one direction, decreasing injuries and fatalities related to accidents in Coronado. Despite the major upsides, roundabouts do not come cheap.
The immediate drawback would be a hefty one. Comparable roundabout projects of similar magnitudes in California suggest a cost of roughly $15 million. Not to mention the tear-jerking traffic congestion getting worse from the road construction itself. To justify this project, local officials at a minimum must float around the idea of raising taxes and taking out bonds, which is not a popular idea in an already tax-stressed California. Regardless, I encourage local officials to muster the political willpower and genuinely consider a roundabout for 4th Street and Orange Avenue. Aside from grumbling retirees, islanders, tourists, and military and civilian personnel alike would benefit immensely from this boost in quality of life.
Kaleb Dan Mantela
San Diego County resident and a Coronado commuter who serves in the U.S. Navy.
