Work schedule and hours
October 2024 - summer 2025*
Weekdays residential streets 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Other streets 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (may include night and/or weekend work)

Please watch for construction signs and give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to go.

Why do crews leave and come back to the same areas multiple times?

• Resurfacing and restriping requires several steps with crews returning to the same area multiple times. Please watch for temporary “No Parking” signs.

• First the street needs to be prepped by grinding down certain areas and sealing cracks.
• Then, it’s ready to be resurfaced. We try to resurface one lane or one side at a time so traffic can still get through. When one side is done, we switch to the other side.
• The new surface needs a little time before it’s ready for new striping.

• Completing all the striping usually takes between two to four weeks. That’s why you will see temporary lane markers right after a street is resurfaced.

72-hour notice of resurfacing

• Crews distributed door hanger fliers 72 hours in advance notifying residents and businesses that the street will be closed for one day in the upcoming week.

• Traffic control was in place for temporary street closures, and street parking was restricted in some locations.

Lane widths on non-residential streets 

Reducing lane widths on city roads through restriping is one way the city is making changes to local streets to reduce speeding, which is the number one cause of injury collisions in Carlsbad.

Why are the lanes changing?

• Speeding is listed as the number one cause of injury collisions in Carlsbad, cited as the “primary collision factor” in 25% of these crashes.
• Narrowing lanes forces drivers to pay more attention and slow down.
• There are national industry standards for lane widths, and all our streets still fall within those standards.
• Our traffic engineers base the width on several factors, including traffic volume, speed, the type of street and its location.

Can’t you just lower the speed limit to slow down traffic?

• The law says the city can only set speed limits within a certain percentage of the speed people actually drive on the road. Otherwise, it's considered a speed trap.
• That’s why the city needs to first make changes to the street. This causes drivers to slow down. Then, a speed survey is conducted to document that driver behavior has changed and the average speed has gone down.
• Only then can the city establish a lower speed limit that is enforceable.

Slurry sealing involves removing traffic striping and pavement markings, sealing larger cracks in the pavement surface, then applying a thin layer of asphalt emulsion, small rocks and sand. It’s a cost-effective way to protect and improve the look and drivability of the pavement and extend its life by five to seven years.  

Fog seal is similar to slurry seal, but involves applying a thinner layer to streets that do not yet need more extensive repairs. Depending on the existing conditions, fog seal can extend the life of the pavement by two to four years before other treatments like a slurry seal or overlay are needed. 

Watch a video of the City of Carlsbad pavement management program. 

Pavement management is funded through the city’s Capital Improvement Program budget. The money comes from state gas tax revenue, local TransNet funds and fees paid by local trash haulers.

July 16, 2024 | City Council
Accepted the bids and awarded a construction contract for the next slurry seal project, which includes resurfacing and restriping about 27.7 miles of residential streets and 10 miles of main roadways and the roadway reconfiguration of El Fuerte Street from Faraday to Palomar Airport Road.

May 14, 2024 | City Council
Approved the plans and specifications for the next slurry seal project, which includes resurfacing and restriping about 27.7 miles of residential streets and 10 miles of main roadways. Approved the roadway reconfiguration of El Fuerte Street from Faraday to Palomar Airport Road.

Feb. 5, 2024 | Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission
Provided input and approved the plans for the next slurry seal project, which includes resurfacing and restriping about 27.7 miles of residential streets and 10 miles of main roadways and the roadway reconfiguration of El Fuerte Street from Faraday to Palomar Airport Road.