Bike markings coming to Morena Blvd at the Interstate 8 crossing

Morena Blvd striping plans 2019

New bike striping plans and signage for bike riders will be implemented on Morena Boulevard where it crosses Interstate 8 in the next few months. This is an exciting moment in time when Caltrans takes the opportunity to implement safe street markings on state-controlled interchanges that can provide additional guidance, safety, and comfort for people riding bikes.

Streetview image of Morena crossing under I-8These Morena Blvd stripings were triggered when BikeSD Board President Nicole Burgess rode through the area and sent a tweet to Caltrans more than one year ago. She requested @CaltransSD provide safer connections through this corridor which would connect to the City’s efforts that implemented bike lanes and facility improvements on the north end of the corridor. Her request has been granted.

Caltrans Pedestrian and Bicycle Committee has discussed this project at the last two meetings and attached are the new striping plans and signage that will be implemented. BikeSD is glad to see that Caltrans is taking the initiative to provide better facilities throughout their jurisdiction. We appreciate collaborative efforts by Caltrans as they engaged and worked with the bike community to get the best improvements that can be made with paint. Obviously, there are better ways to improve the corridor but not without lots of money to tie up the interchanges (which is not happening anytime soon).

The plans shown above (see PDF for high-resolution drawings) are quite detailed. Overall BikeSD is supportive of these improvements. One concern that BikeSD and other bike advocates suggested was to add “Green Dashed Paint Markings through the Intersection” per NACTO guidelines. This was a consistent request by many people who ride bikes, but unfortunately the Operations Team at Caltrans is not willing to do so. We’ve inquired to understand what prevents Caltrans from implementing these types of paint markings and will keep our members posted on Caltrans response.

Regardless, we’re looking forward to better striping through this area and thank Caltrans for their efforts. As the improvements are made in the next few months, we hope that you appreciate the new facility markings. Feel free to send a tweet or email to @CaltransSD thanking them for the new improvements and any concerns you may observe as a bike rider.

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