At the San Clemente City Council’s March 19 meeting, the council unanimously approved measures continuing the effort to fix the often-congested traffic corridor at Interstate 5’s Avenida Palizada exit and toward El Camino Real.
March 19 marked the third instance in as many years that the council discussed how to improve the area, which initially began with Councilmember Steve Knoblock’s suggestion of using the land for the former Valero gas station at Avenida de la Estrella as a roundabout.
City staff will pursue striping modifications that add a second through lane and a left-turn lane westbound at the Palizada and Estrella intersection, a second left-turn lane for the I-5 northbound on-ramp, and either a second left-turn lane westbound at Palizada onto El Camino Real or change the through lane at the intersection to add an option for turning left.
Assistant City Engineer Zak Ponson listed the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as a key player in the efforts, in terms of its approval of adding a third lane to the I-5 southbound off-ramp strictly for left turns, allowing for two dedicated right-turn lanes. He added that synchronizing the off-ramp signal with the signals at de la Estrella and El Camino Real would be the “best solution.”
“The synchronization and striping modifications will require Caltrans approval and encroachment permits,” the agenda report reads. “It may require several months to obtain the necessary permits, and it is also possible that Caltrans may require additional studies that will need to be conducted and funded by the City.”
Ponson added that staff would reserve funding in the upcoming budget cycle for design studies, and that anything the city could get in terms of an area for left turns, even just a few car lengths long, would be ideal.
“The more cars we get closer to the intersection, the more can cycle through each one of our signals per cycle,” Ponson said of adding a third lane.
Staff also proposed striping a “Keep Clear” section for turning into Old Town San Clemente Plaza.
The Orange County Transportation Authority’s Countywide Synchronization Project is another factor, according to staff, as it would update and optimize the synchronization between the lights at El Camino Real and Avenida de la Estrella. However, the project is scheduled to implement the synchronization in two or three years.
Ponson said he hopes to get a project ready for the city’s inclusion in the countywide program that would add the light at the Caltrans off-ramp.
Mayor Victor Cabral opined that the city should first write to Caltrans to see if the organization wanted to expedite synchronization with the city’s traffic lights and widen the off-ramp before investing the city’s own time and resources into striping modifications.
“Until they make the decision, we would be spending a lot of money on studying this, reviewing it and designing it,” he said. “And if they said no, then (we’d be) pretty much stuck where we are.”
He went on to say he was unsure if the city could ever fix the “bad” traffic situation at the Palizada exit, even with the proposed measures.
Responding to questions from Knoblock, Ponson said Caltrans doesn’t have any control over whether to place two left turn lanes at the Palizada and El Camino Real intersection. However, Ponson added that he would prefer to have further information from studies before moving forward.
“If we can just leave the right lane where it’s existing and switch that center lane to also be able to turn left, that could potentially be done,” he said of the striping on Palizada westbound towards El Camino Real.
City staff would have to initiate such a traffic signal project next year, he continued, a concept that Knoblock supported and said would have support from residents and business owners downtown.
Cabral jumped in to add that he’d rather have Caltrans pay for such modifications as part of the upcoming synchronization project.
The corridor will be included in the city’s Street Improvement Fund for Fiscal Year 2024-2025, according to Ponson, about which city staff have already spoken with the Orange County Transportation Authority.
“What I want to do is queue up the Caltrans approval so that if OCTA’s doing that study, we can simply say, ‘Please add in this extra signal,’” said Ponson. “That way, we get them paying the bucks.”
The council’s vote officially directed staff to continue processing the synchronization of the Palizada corridor with the potential striping modifications, and authorized City Manager Andy Hall to request that Caltrans expedite a project to widen the off-ramp and coordinate traffic signal synchronization in a letter.