The Encinitas Pedestrian Crossing at Santa Fe Opening opened on Wednesday, February 27^th.  The Schmidt Design Group, Inc. was a sub consultant to T.Y. Lin International to assist in the design of four pedestrian undercrossings to allow pedestrians to safely travel from the east side of the tracks to Highway 101.

The Santa Fe project created a new rail bridge and pedestrian undercrossing beneath the tracks between Highway 101 and Vulcan Avenue, west of Santa Fe Drive. As part of the project, a new crosswalk and traffic signal on Highway 101 were installed to increase pedestrian safety.

The Santa Fe crossing also complies with the American Disabilities Act and provides safe connections not just for pedestrians, but also bicyclists to the planned Coastal Rail Trail. With the construction of the crossing, access to beaches, schools, commercial areas, and residential neighborhoods across a very active rail line has been dramatically improved.

The Schmidt Design Group, Inc. preformed landscape architectural services for the project in which they  incorporated design icons or “cairns” to uniquely mark each entry into the neighborhood.  Themes depicted in the designs reference the ocean, land and cultural history of Encinitas.

A budget of $5.9 million was allocated for the engineering and construction of the Santa Fe crossing. Construction began on January 30, 2012, and the project opened to the public on February 27, 2013.