Funding available for one of three Rancho Santa Fe roundabouts in 2027

San Diego County staff visited the Rancho Santa Fe Community Center on May 7 to provide an update on the long-anticipated roundabouts project that aims to keep traffic flowing efficiently and safely on the busy Del Dios Highway/Paseo Deicias corridor.

Roundabouts have been proposed for three intersections on the congested highway: the “skewed multi-leg” intersection at Via de la Valle, the high-volume and long queuing intersection of El Montevideo and at El Camino del Norte, where it is difficult for cross traffic to turn.

According to the county, $3 million in TransNet funding will be available starting mid-2027, which will provide for sufficient funding to begin constructing the eastern roundabout at El Camino del Norte in 2028.

An additional $12 million will be needed to build the west and middle intersection roundabouts and county staff is continuing to pursue state, regional and federal funding opportunities for their construction. Once funds are identified, the build-out for each roundabout is estimated to last 12-18 months.

"The County appreciates the community’s participation in this project to date and looks forward to working together to ultimately complete the roundabout plan to enhance traffic safety in the Rancho Santa Fe community," said Donna Durckel, group communications officer for the county's land use and environment group. "The community has expressed strong support for speed reduction and intersection safety through this corridor, including for bicycle users and pedestrians, and the design includes equestrian-friendly pathway and crosswalks. They have also been involved in landscaping plant palette decisions."

The Rancho Santa Fe Association has a long history with the roundabouts—the first draft of the environmental impact report for the improvements was circulated back in 2008. Roundabouts were approved by the County Board of Supervisors in 2016 after the community shared its preference for roundabouts over traffic signals in a community-wide survey. Four years later in 2020, Supervisor Jim Desmond was instrumental in getting $3 million of county funding allocated toward the design phase of all three intersections.

The roundabouts will stretch 105 feet from curb to curb with a center island and 16 feet wide circulating lanes. There will be flashing beacons at the pedestrian crossings and embedded lighting in the roadway. Bicycles will have full lane access through the roundabout instead of having to use the tight shoulder.

Bus stop shelters will be improved and the drainage system will also be updated with the county’s Greenstreets elements, helping to improve stormwater quality.

With the design, the county worked to highlight the aesthetics and “historic charm” of Rancho Santa Fe. The roundabouts will feature decorative pavement, 10-feet wide decomposed granite wide pathways linking to existing trails, pole lighting that looks like the historic El Camino Real bells as well as landscaping, decorative boulders and historic Rancho Santa Fe entry monuments placed at the center of the roundabouts at Via de la Valle and El Camino Del Norte.

The planting plan includes large trees like Coast Live Oaks and Canary Island pines, shrubs, grasses, succulents and accent trees like coral trees.

According to the county, additional details on the Via de la Valle and El Montevideo roundabouts will be available once full project funding is secured. To learn more, visit sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/dpw/roads/rancho_santa_fe.html

This story originally appeared in Rancho Santa Fe Review .