OCEANSIDE, Calif. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced that the levee maintenance road along the south bank of the San Luis Rey River will be open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic during the bi-weekly restoration and monitoring work.
The Corps previously had restricted use of the road because of safety issues but has coordinated with the City of Oceanside, the project’s local sponsor, to allow access through the area while the Corps contractor, RECON Environmental Inc., performs the necessary work, which includes the use of a large water truck for watering the individual plants and weed eradication.
RECON will place and remove the advisory signs daily at the access points to the trail at I-5, Benet Road and Fousatt Road during the alternate weeks watering takes place along the south bank. Watering along the south bank will occur the week of July 14 and every second week following (i.e., July 28, Aug. 4, etc.). Watering on alternate weeks on the north bank does not impact use of the maintenance road trail.
The signs will advise the public that restoration operations are ongoing and that caution should be exercised when approaching and passing by the maintenance vehicles and crews. Officials are optimistic the signs will provide enough advance warning to bicyclists to avoid any reoccurrence of the isolated incidents that previously led to the intermittent closures.
At this time, because of the lack of anticipated rainfall throughout the area, officials cannot predict when restoration operations will no longer be necessary.
Release no. 14-011