The rail corridor also traverses Torrey Pines State Beach and Reserve, offering travelers extensive views of the shoreline, natural landforms and open space areas, and coastal bluffs (Figure 5.7-1A and Figure 5.7-1B). Buena Vista Lagoon in Carlsbad and Oceanside.San Elijo Lagoon in Solana Beach and Encinitas.San Dieguito Lagoon/River Valley in Del Mar.

These scenic coastal resources exist at the following locations (from south to north): These coastal water bodies are coupled with expansive open space areas that offer visual relief from views of surrounding urban development and also serve as viewsheds, providing visual access to the ocean and inland foothills. The rail corridor crosses five coastal lagoons and two river valleys, which represent some of the last wetlands of their kind in Southern California. This is particularly true in Del Mar where the rail corridor lies atop a coastal bluff (Figure 5.7-1B). Given the proximity of the rail alignment to the shoreline, expansive views of the ocean and coastline are available along many portions of the NCC. The Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail corridor provides travelers with a variety of significant coastal views and distinct visual experiences, generally characterized as urban mixed-use, suburban and coastal communities, natural open space areas, and expansive ocean and coastline environments. Much of the NCC's existing rail and highway system parallels the Pacific Ocean's coastline and, in many locations, the transportation facilities offer expansive views of the coastline, river valleys, coastal lagoons, beaches, and other upland scenic resources. Development densities within the NCC have remained low, for the most part, and large groupings of mature trees, large open space areas with significant natural resources, and the coastline are the primary coastal visual resources interspersed in the developed landscape. The North Coast Corridor (NCC) is the primary transportation link between two of the major metropolitan regions in California (Los Angeles and San Diego) and although the corridor has experienced a significant amount of urban growth, its scenic character has managed to persist as a unique coastal resource.

Free instals Visual Subst 5.7