The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has awarded a contract to Steelhead Construction which will soon begin the sediment removal project in the San Luis Rey River (SLRR) after the project was previously postponed in late 2016. The project is needed to increase flow capacity in the river, and is the next step following vegetation mowing, to move the river closer to a 100-year flood level capacity.
The project consists of removing over 200,000 cubic yards of sediment material from the river, and is tentatively scheduled to begin construction in the river around September 15, 2017 with preliminary work starting in early September.
Construction in the river must be completed by March 15, 2018 with finish work ending in late March. Sediment removal will take place from just west of Benet Road to east of Foussat Road in Oceanside.
The project will include the removal of sediment from the SLRR and transporting sand to City beaches and unsuitable material to El Corazon. Material that is classified as “beach quality” sand will be deposited on City beaches under the Sand Compatibility and Opportunistic Use Program (SCOUP) which allows compatible sand to be placed when made available through development, grading projects, sediment basins or as other opportunities arise. Under this permit, the sand can be deposited in either of two placement sites from Oceanside Boulevard to Buccaneer Beach, or from Seagaze Drive to Pine Street.
Due to the amount of material to be removed, there will be heavy construction equipment and dump trucks running continuously for 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, and the San Luis Rey Bike Trail will be completely closed during the project (approximately September 5 – March 31) from Foussat Road to Douglas Drive. USACE requires a closure for safety purposes, due to the amount of heavy equipment and truck traffic on the levee and the potential for considerable pavement damage. The contractor will be responsible to restore the bike trail to its pre-construction condition when the project is completed.
A bike detour will be set up during this closure. Trail users traveling westbound will initially encounter the closure/detour starting at Douglas Drive. The detour will direct traffic south on Douglas Drive, west on Pala Road, south on Los Arbolitos Boulevard, south on Fireside Street, west on Mission Avenue and continues west across the old Drive In site and then north on Foussat Road where the trail can be accessed again. Updates to the public will be made periodically as the project progresses.
