Signal rejected for E. Mission/Live Oak Park Rd.

The County of San Diego has rejected, at least for at the present time, a traffic signal at the intersection of East Mission Road and Live Oak Park Road.

The county’s Traffic Advisory Committee reviewed the intersection March 28 and recommended against placing the intersection on the county’s Traffic Signal Priority List, and on June 18 the San Diego County Board of Supervisors accepted rather than overturned that recommendation.

Both roads have one lane in each direction at the intersection. East Mission Road measures 42 feet wide west of the intersection and 40 feet wide east of Live Oak Park Road, while Live Oak Park Road is approximately 28 feet wide. East Mission Road, which is classified as a major road on the county’s Circulation Element Map, has a posted 45 mph speed limit in the vicinity of the intersection while Live Oak Park Road, which is unclassified on the Circulation Element Map, has a posted 40 mph speed limit. A stop control on Live Oak Park Road where the street ends at East Mission Road requires motorists to stop at the limit line and yield to East Mission Road traffic from both directions.

A February 2008 traffic survey indicated an average daily traffic volume of 10,390 westbound vehicles on East Mission Road east of Live Oak Park Road, 9,670 eastbound vehicles on East Mission Road west of the intersection, and 1,270 northbound vehicles on Live Oak Park Road south of East Mission Road. A November 2002 traffic survey produced an average daily volume of 9,880 westbound, 9,100 eastbound, and 980 northbound vehicles while a November 1999 survey indicated a daily average of 7,930 westbound, 7,550 eastbound, and 760 northbound vehicles.

The Traffic Advisory Committee also considered accident data for the intersection. Between July 30, 2003, and July 30, 2007, six collisions at the intersection were reported.

The skewed angle approach from the south makes the intersection one of the most challenging in Fallbrook for motorists, especially those driving large trucks. The Fallbrook Community Planning Group has worked with the Capital Improvements Projects section of the county’s Department of Public Works and has considered realigning the intersection to a standard 90 degree configuration, but the complexity of such a realignment from the current angle and the utility relocation which would be required make such a realignment option infeasible.

The planning group and the Capital Improvement Projects section are working together to identify alternative solutions. Discussions are taking place about a possible cul-de-sac at Live Oak Park Road north of Yucca Road. The discussions also involve the possibility of extending Yucca Road from Live Oak Park Road to East Mission Road, aligning the Yucca Road extension with Red Mountain Dam Drive to create a standard four-legged intersection at East Mission Road.

If Yucca Road is extended, the intersection at East Mission Road would be signalized. A traffic signal at Live Oak Park Road and East Mission Road could have a negative impact on the signal at the future intersection. The Traffic Advisory Committee noted that when the intersection of East Mission Road with Yucca Road and Red Mountain Dam Road becomes reality it would likely meet several of the traffic signal guidelines and would likely be placed high on the Traffic Signal Priority List.

In the recommendation not to place the intersection of East Mission Road and Live Oak Park Road on the Traffic Signal Priority List, the Traffic Advisory Committee noted that the best course of action is for discussions between the planning group and the Capital Improvement Projects section to continue on the preferred project which would alleviate many of the current problems at the existing intersection.