Road will provide easier way to reach city
By Linda Lou
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 5, 2007
SAN MARCOS – Soon, San Elijo Hills will no longer be so out there.
A new road that will bridge the gap between the southern end of Twin Oaks Valley Road and San Elijo Road is expected to open by late July.
Access into the 3,400-home development and the rest of southwest San Marcos is limited now from inland North County. Motorists must take either San Marcos Boulevard or state Route 78 to southbound Rancho Santa Fe Road into Carlsbad before heading east on San Elijo.
But once the 1.6-mile connection opens, the route will no longer be so circuitous. Drivers will be able drive south on Twin Oaks Valley Road to San Elijo. San Elijo Hills residents will be able to reach central San Marcos much faster and can do their shopping and dining in the city instead of heading west to coastal cities.
That’s something San Marcos officials have wanted for a long time.
From a public-safety perspective, sheriff’s deputies will be able to respond more quickly to incidents in southwest San Marcos, said City Manager Paul Malone. “It’s a heck of a long run to get there,” he said.
Malone, however, also acknowledged concerns about more traffic through a residential area and past two schools on San Elijo Road. The new four-lane stretch is being built in two segments. One part is the city’s, the other is being constructed by the developer of San Elijo Hills. Known as “Twin Oaks Valley Over the Hill” by San Marcos officials, the city’s section starts near California State University San Marcos and extends 4,300 feet south. The cost of the extension is expected to be about $20 million, partly paid by developer fees. Workers are now installing curbs, gutters and medians. Read The Entire UT Article