Solana Beach commuters, cyclists and pedestrians along Lomas Santa Fe Drive will see construction crews arrive after the Labor Day holiday as the city launches a long-planned, $7.4 million overhaul of the one-mile stretch between Santa Helena and Highland Drive.

The project will add new sidewalks, a multi-use trail, bike lanes, landscaped medians, benches, decorative paving and new traffic signals to the corridor east of Interstate 5, according to a city announcement. Staging of equipment and vegetation pruning begins after Monday, Sept. 7, with full construction scheduled to start in October and last approximately 11 months through late summer 2027.

The City Council awarded the contract to Tri-Group Construction on May 27, selecting the firm from a pool of six bids. The deal includes $6.7 million for the estimated scope of work plus a 10% contingency, The Coast News reported. The council also approved a two-year, roughly $979,000 construction management contract with Kleinfelder.

Rep. Mike Levin secured $7 million in federal funding for the project through federal legislation. Planning for the broader Lomas Santa Fe Corridor improvements dates back to 2015 and once included roundabouts, which were later dropped in favor of maintaining two travel lanes in each direction.

"I am just so thrilled that we're doing this tonight, and I'm really amazed that this has come in at our engineer's estimate," Mayor Lesa Heebner said at the May 27 council meeting when the contract was awarded. "I also think it's interesting that all the bids were very close. It gives me comfort."

At that same meeting, Councilmember Dave Zito compared the project's scale to the Highway 101 streetscape redo and said communication with residents would be crucial. Zito also noted that Lomas Santa Fe is a heavy bike corridor and asked that crews make clear where cyclists should go during construction. Senior civil engineer Anda Wright said the city will offer a dedicated hotline and email address for residents to report issues once work begins.

At least one travel lane will remain open in each direction throughout construction. The city has identified non-working days, including the opening of the San Diego County Fair and the first week of the school year, to limit traffic disruptions.

The eastern segment is the first phase of a larger $15 million corridor project stretching from Highway 101 to Highland Drive, according to The Coast News. The western portion is expected to cost around $8 million; the San Diego Association of Governments awarded $3.5 million toward it earlier in 2026, though additional funding is still being sought. City leaders plan to finalize the western segment's design by 2027.

City staff will present the full construction schedule, outreach plan and email sign-up details at the Wednesday, Sept. 9 City Council meeting. Residents can also sign up for project updates at the city's dedicated project page at cityofsolanabeach.ca.gov/en/LSFE.