Solana Beach will break ground Monday, Oct. 5, on a $7.5 million rebuild of Lomas Santa Fe Drive. The 14-month project adds bike lanes, a multi-use trail and new medians along the corridor.

The project stretches roughly a mile from Highland Drive on the east to Santa Helena on the west, the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported. A $7 million federal grant secured by Congressman Mike Levin covers most of the cost, according to the city's project page. City Transportation Impact Fee and Measure S funds make up the balance.

Crews will work east to west in three phases, City Engineer Austin Frisby said at the Wednesday, Sept. 9, council meeting, according to the Union-Tribune. Medians go in first. South-side sidewalk construction follows. North-side roadway work comes last, adding a 0.93-mile multi-use trail the city compares to the Coastal Rail Trail.

The finished road will carry two travel lanes in each direction, Class II bike lanes on both sides, raised medians with native drought-tolerant landscaping and improved signalized intersections. A decorative retaining wall will go up near the Santa Helena and Las Banderas intersection.

"We're not closing any roads, we'll always have a lane open in each direction at all times," said Greg Gomez, project manager for Kleinfelder, the engineering firm the city hired to run the build.

Work is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and at least one lane in each direction will stay open throughout. During two brief phases, residents of the Via Mil Cumbres community will be detoured to alternate egress routes.

Some residents at the Sept. 9 meeting raised concerns about extended traffic delays and drivers cutting through parallel neighborhood streets such as Sun Valley Road.

Kleinfelder will station a construction manager on site full time to handle safety and communication.

The city has already mailed an informational flier to every Solana Beach household. Additional outreach will include construction notices, digital signage boards, a dedicated website and a helpline. Douglas Alden, chair of BikeWalkSolana, who has been involved in the project since 2017, called it "a little bit of pain but a lot to gain."

Construction is expected to wrap by summer 2027. Project updates are available on the city's Lomas Santa Fe project page.