City Council Unanimously Approves Espola Road Improvement Project EIR

Despite public outcry against the Espola Road Improvement Project, the Poway City Council unanimously approved the project's Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Tuesday night, noting that it was time to "put this to bed."

Almost 30 public speakers came forward at the "Town Council" meeting—held in Twin Peaks Middle School's gym—to give their thoughts on the project, most of whom opposed it and asked the council members to reject the report.

The EIR states the effects of the proposed project, including direct impacts on some protected vegetation and wildlife habitats, as well as noise impacts.

According to the council, numerous versions of an EIR for the road project have come up for the past 25 years and cost about $1.8 million, according to Deputy Mayor John Mullin, a deciding factor for voting parties to certify the report.

“It's time to drive a stake into this EIR’s heart and be done with it,” councilman Steve Vaus said.

However, Vaus said he doesn't agree with the road widening project, noting that he doesn't see congestion as a problem. 

“If this were just about sidewalks and trails, this would be an easy call,” Vaus said. “But it’s not… traffic congestion is not solved by the road project.” 

But approving the EIR doesn't mean that the project is a go. The project would come back to the city council for approval at a later time.

One resident spoke to to the council and said he was neutral on the topic, noting that the vote was simply for the EIR, not the project itself.

"If you think the EIR is accurate, you should approve it," he said.

The Espola Road widening was put into the General Plan in order to improve safety of the road as well as relieve traffic congestion, the city says. In 2002, four lanes were suggested to go in, with a three-lane option being suggested in 2008 to help with congestion.

However, Bob Hanis, who works in the city's development services, stated Tuesday night that the project won't necessarily relieve congestion during high traffic times, namely morning and afternoon pick-ups and drop-offs for Poway High School. 

“Even at the full implementation, there will still be congestion at the peak times,” Hanis said. “However, the overall level of service to that road will be improved.”

Council member Jim Cunningham said the concerns of the citizens voiced at the meeting were "heard loud and clear," but was hesitant to not approve the EIR since doing so would require the return of $300,000 back to SANDAG, which was borrowed for the EIR.
Cunningham made a motion to approve the EIR, with Dave Gorsch seconding. All members voted in favor of the motion.

As previously described in Patch, the Espola Road Improvement Project proposal includes several elements, such as:

• Expanding Espola Road into three lanes: The project area extends along Espola Road from Twin Peaks Road south to Titan Way (by Poway High). The three-lane design would include one lane in each direction with a 12-foot-wide turn lane in-between. 
• Bigger bike lanes and sidewalks: Eight-foot-wide bike lanes along both sides of the road, along with sidewalks separated from the roadway by landscape are part of the plan. The sidewalks would be a minimum of five-feet wide. Adding sidewalk only on the west side would cost an estimated $800,000.
• New traffic signal: A new traffic light would be installed at the intersection of Espola Road and Durhullen Drive/Golden Sunset Lane at an estimated cost of $300,000.
• Upgrading the storm drain system: The drainage system has "deteriorated significantly" over time and is undersized in many locations, according to the report. Upgrading the system would require acquiring a total of nearly 19,000-square feet from 28 private residential lots.