Three permanent public art projects are taking shape across Carlsbad, including the city's first artwork at a freeway underpass.
The projects span the Chestnut Avenue I-5 underpass, a new traffic circle in the Barrio and the future Veterans Memorial Park. Each is at a different stage, with the underpass design already approved and two others moving toward public review this fall.
Chestnut Avenue underpass
The City Council approved the final design for the Chestnut Avenue underpass on June 9. The underpass connects the Barrio on the west side of I-5 with neighborhoods around Holiday Park to the east.
Artist team Greenmeme designed layered, sculptural panels inspired by native and cultivated plants for all four exterior corners. The Harding Street side will feature bird-of-paradise, Matilija poppy, white sage and opuntia. The Pio Pico Drive side will feature poinsettia, ranunculus, California poppy and freesia, according to a city manager's update published June 10.
The city will now submit the design to Caltrans through Caltrans' Transportation Art Proposal process. If approved, a fabrication contract with Greenmeme will return to the City Council for a final vote before work begins. The project builds on a new bike lane and enhanced sidewalks that Caltrans and SANDAG completed at the underpass in summer 2025.
Barrio traffic circle
At the traffic circle planned for Pine Avenue and Harding Street, the city's Public Art Advisory Subcommittee selected Mario Torero to create the centerpiece. Torero is co-founder of San Diego's Chicano Park and is known for socially conscious mural work.
The project page says his team is reviewing community input and expects to present an initial concept to the Arts Commission this fall. The art carries a $110,000 budget, funded through a city ordinance dedicating 1% of certain construction costs to public art. Nine artists applied during a 2024 call limited to California-based professionals.
Grace Francisco wrote to the subcommittee in December 2024 during the selection process, describing herself as a Carlsbad homeowner of 31 years and a former muralist: "I've worked with Mario Torero in 1978 on the murals down in Barrio Logan. He is not only an extremely skilled and talented artist, but he enjoys teaching others the process … I think he will make the most impactful art for our fine Barrio."
The traffic circle is part of a larger Village and Barrio Master Plan traffic-calming effort that includes five traffic circles, two additional calming features and crosswalk improvements. The Barrio is Carlsbad's first residential neighborhood, dating to the early 1900s.
Veterans Memorial Park
The third project sits at the future Veterans Memorial Park near Faraday Avenue and Cannon Road. At 93.7 acres, it will be Carlsbad's largest park and the city's first dedicated space honoring veterans.
The City Council approved the public art design by Gordon Huether Studio on Oct. 7, 2025, with a $350,000 art budget. The artwork will sit on the park's upper plateau, offering views of the lagoon, golf course and ocean. Park construction began in July and is expected to take about two years.
A fabrication contract for the artwork still needs council approval at a future meeting. No date has been announced.
What's ahead
Carlsbad's Art in Public Places Program, established in 1985, was the first public art program in San Diego County. Residents can follow all three projects at carlsbadca.gov/arts. The Barrio traffic circle concept is expected before the Arts Commission this fall, and the Chestnut underpass design awaits Caltrans review.
