Motorists going east-bound on Carbon Canyon Road in Brea need to pay attention to traffic lane improvements installed as part of the City’s Traffic Calming Plan in coordination with Caltrans. Modifications will assist traffic flow on Carbon Canyon Road and deter by-pass commuter traffic on Santa Fe Road during peak hours.
Specific improvements are as follows:
• The existing left-turn lane on Carbon Canyon Road into Brea Hills Drive has been extended to improve access to Brea Hills Drive. Other through traffic will no longer be able to cut in and out of this designated turn pocket.
• Also, the former left-turn lane from Santa Fe Road is eliminated to function as a right-turn only lane with some traffic signal and sign modifications. The intent is to allow only right turns from the south tip of Santa Fe Road onto west-bound Carbon Canyon Road. This is needed as a deterrent to cut through commuter traffic through the neighborhoods.
As multiple wide lanes from Lambert Road converge into two-lanes on Carbon Canyon Road, also known as California State Highway 142, heavy congestion and slowing is inevitable during evening peak hour times. These traffic impacts compelled the City, with input from the affected neighborhoods, to complete a Traffic Calming Plan and obtain Caltrans approvals for the proposed modifications. Improvements are intended to help manage traffic flow past the signal at Santa Fe Road.
New street striping and physical devices that delineate new restricted directional turn lanes will be installed overnight. An evaluation period will follow in order to gather additional traffic information and to make any necessary adjustments. In difficult locations such as Carbon Canyon, the City of Brea and Caltrans remain committed to traffic patterns that assure both safety and mobility.