Why Is the Ocean-Side Walkway on Cardiff's Lagoon Bridge the Narrow One?

The Coast Highway 101 bridge over the San Elijo Lagoon inlet is 200 feet long. It links the San Elijo State Beach campground at 2050 S Coast Hwy 101 to Cardiff Reef and the Restaurant Row stretch beyond. The bridge has a sidewalk on each edge. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported in September that walkers prefer the western one, with the ocean views, even though it is the narrower of the two.

That gap in width is now part of a funding decision. A federal grant is lined up to repair the bridge. Widening the ocean-side walkway counts as a "betterment" under that program, which means Encinitas would pay the whole cost itself. The bridge will get fixed either way. A wider walkway on the view side depends on the city choosing to spend its own money.

The view side is the 1953 side

The bridge went up in 1934 and was widened on its western side in 1953, according to the City of Encinitas project page. The same page lists four vehicle lanes, a protected bike lane in each direction, and "an ADA sidewalk on the east side." A March 2026 staff report uses the same wording and calls the east sidewalk "Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant."

That makes the east walkway, which faces the lagoon, the accessible one, and the city's documents describe only that side that way. The west walkway faces the surf at Cardiff Reef and is the one walkers favor. It sits on the part of the bridge that was added two decades after the original structure. A 2023 city staff report described the sidewalks on both sides as narrow.

What "poor" measured

In January 2026, the City Council awarded Kleinfelder, Inc. a $270,000 contract to inspect every bridge the city owns and draft a 10-year repair plan. There are 46 structures in all: nine conventional bridges, 11 culvert bridges and 26 pedestrian-only crossings. The inspectors used hammers to sound the concrete, probed timber and measured cracks, according to the consultants' report.

The findings went to the Council on September 9. Two structures were rated "poor": the Highway 101 bridge over San Elijo Lagoon and the westernmost pedestrian bridge in Leucadia Oaks Park. The Union-Tribune reported chipped concrete and rusting rebar on the lagoon bridge. It also quoted Kleinfelder engineer Kelly Burnell telling the Council that "poor doesn't mean unsafe," only that the bridge needs repair work. Caltrans structural engineers inspect the bridge regularly and last did so in 2024. The city lists its sufficiency rating as 60.4 out of 100.

The bridge has had repairs before. The March 2026 staff report lists pier repairs in the 1990s and emergency work in 2019 to patch areas of delaminating concrete on the soffit, the underside of the deck. The 2023 report adds a 2022 repair to the northeast abutment. The "poor" rating also matters for funding: it makes the bridge eligible for a Federal Highway Administration program.

Who pays for a wider walkway

That program is the federal Highway Bridge Program, which Caltrans's Local Assistance Division runs for the Federal Highway Administration. It funds rehabilitation or replacement of locally owned bridges that the state finds to be in poor condition and important for traffic. A city grant fact sheet updated July 15, 2026 lists a $17,082,400 award for this bridge.

At the September meeting, City Engineering Director Dan Nutter said the key question is what Caltrans will treat as "repair" and what it will treat as "betterment," the Union-Tribune reported.

Joy Lyndes represents the Cardiff area on the Council. The Union-Tribune reported her view that residents will want betterments, given how many pedestrians and cyclists cross the bridge every day, and that any improvements should happen during the repair work.

"We're probably never going to have a better opportunity."

Councilmember Joy Lyndes, as quoted by the San Diego Union-Tribune

Her reasoning comes down to timing. Doing the betterment later would mean another round of construction on a bridge that will already have been rebuilt. Doing it during the repair means the extra width is added while crews are already working on the structure.

The schedule so far

The deadline Lyndes is pointing to is still years off. Nutter told the Council it could take about five years for construction to begin, calling it "an arduous process." City records show how the project has moved so far.

1. 2019: Caltrans staff tell the city the bridge is a good candidate for Highway Bridge Program funding.
2. June 24, 2020: The Council authorizes staff to apply for the funding.
3. October 24, 2022: Caltrans adds the project to its program list, with design funding expected in federal fiscal year 2025/26.
4. June 14, 2023: The city appropriates the grant and its local match. The staff report that year called it a roughly $17 million project with an expected life of eight to ten years.
5. February 2025: SANDAG's regional transportation program includes a partial allocation of design funding.
6. October 6, 2025: The city asks for proposals for engineering and environmental permitting.
7. March 11, 2026: The Council approves a $199,817 contract with Dokken Engineering. It covers survey, inspection, coordination and early concepts for Caltrans to review. The rest of the design work requires a separate authorization.

As of that March report, $200,000 of design money had been authorized: $160,000 from the federal program and $40,000 from the city. Another $1.936 million in design funds was waiting to be verified before it could be spent. The July fact sheet said staff were working with Caltrans to secure more design funding for fiscal year 2026–27. The question of the west walkway will be settled during this design stage, before any work starts on the bridge.

The crossing this winter

For now, the bridge works as it always has. The city's Cardiff Beach Stroll route passes the San Elijo campground, crosses the bridge and continues to Cardiff Reef. From the Reef, the walk to Seaside Reef and back is 2.36 miles. Cardiff State Beach opens at 7 a.m. and closes at sunset, and State Parks lists day-use parking at $12 to $25 per vehicle, depending on demand.

At the south end of the bridge are Pacific Coast Grill at 2526 S Coast Hwy 101, Chart House at 2588 and Ki's at 2591. All three list current hours and take reservations on their own sites. If you want to see the inlet from inland, the San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center at 2710 Manchester Avenue has a loop trail that connects to the Dike and Santa Inez trails.

On Saturday, November 14, Nature Collective is leading a free wildlife tour of San Elijo Lagoon. It is open to ages 15 and older, registration is required, and the meeting spot is emailed to registrants. The September Council report and Kleinfelder's full assessment are posted on the city's meeting archive, along with the bridge's condition ratings and the city's 10-year repair priorities.

Long public works projects along the 101 corridor can affect how a nearby coastal home is marketed and timed. If you own near the lagoon and want a clear, private view of where your property stands, Kathleen Gelcich is glad to help. Request a private home valuation, and we'll go through it with you personally.