The Carlsbad City Council approved more than $15 million in contracts for road resurfacing and synthetic turf replacement at two city parks.
The council voted on both projects Oct. 6 as part of its consent calendar. The road contract passed unanimously. The turf contract drew a lone dissent from Councilmember Teresa Acosta.
45 miles of road work
The council awarded Eagle Paving a $9.8 million contract covering more than 45 miles of Carlsbad roads, The Coast News reported. Six miles of arterial and collector streets will be restriped and resurfaced with new or enhanced bicycle lanes, including El Camino Real from the Encinitas border to Levante Street and a portion of Palomar Airport Road near Paseo del Norte.
The contract also covers about 39 miles of residential streets throughout the city.
Work is expected to start in early 2027 and wrap up in the fall, according to a city manager's update from Geoff Patnoe. Crews will use a combination of slurry seals and asphalt overlays, with portions of Palomar Airport Road, El Camino Real and State Street included.
Turf replacement passes 4-1
The council awarded Byrom-Davey a nearly $5.7 million contract to replace synthetic turf fields at Aviara Community Park and Alga Norte Community Park. The vote was 4-1.
Two public speakers opposed the project before the vote. Charles Rilli, deputy chapter director of the Sierra Club's San Diego chapter, called synthetic turf "an environmental justice issue" whose impacts reach beyond the fields where it is installed.
Acosta cast the only no vote, saying she opposed "installing more plastic in our city" and that she had listened closely to the public comment speakers, The Coast News reported. She has pushed back on synthetic turf for more than a year.
In February 2025, Acosta called for a comprehensive cost analysis across all eight of the city's aging turf fields rather than deciding replacements one by one, the San Diego Reader reported.
The city's staff report cited strong demand for the fields and maintenance concerns as the main reasons for choosing synthetic turf over natural grass.
During budget discussions in early 2025, City Manager Patnoe said the city has eight turf fields nearing end of life and called the replacement program a "multi-year, multi-park activity," the San Diego Reader reported. The city's capital improvement program uses a phased approach, with timelines varying by field.
Residents can find a map of the roads scheduled for resurfacing on the city's website. Businesses and residents in affected areas will be notified before work begins, according to the city manager's update.
