Continuing Action – Work with Partner Agencies to implement the Transportation Projects contained in the Regional Plan

Staff provides regular updates to the SANDAG Board of Directors on a quarterly basis. The reports summarize the status of major transit, highway, active transportation, traffic management, and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) projects in the SANDAG five-year Regional Transportation Improvement Program. The TransNet one-half cent local sales tax and other local, state, and federal revenue sources fund these projects. The projects contained in these reports have been prioritized and are included in San Diego Forward: The Regional Plan. The following is a sample list of projects and their most recent progress made to date. The most recent quarterly report was presented at the Board of Directors meeting on February 23, 2018.

• SR-15 Rapid Transit Mid-City Centerline Stations (Project No. 1) – Construction is nearly complete on San Diego’s first freeway-level transit stations along State Route 15 at University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard. The Rapid services will run in northbound and southbound transit-only lanes within the existing median, which will help improve on-time performance and connections between the existing Rapid and local transit routes. A ribbon-cutting ceremony has been planned for February 24, 2018.
• South Bay Bus Rapid Transit (Project No. 3) – Significant construction work was completed for South Bay Rapid in 2017. When complete, this project will include 12 stations along a 26-mile route from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry to Downtown San Diego via eastern Chula Vista, connecting to employment and activity centers in Downtown San Diego and South County. The project also will include a nearly six-mile-long transit-only lane being constructed in the median of East Palomar Street 2 and along Eastlake Parkway in Chula Vista. Construction of one of the four segments (from Heritage Road to Olympic Parkway) was completed at the end of 2017. The other three segments (Olympic Parkway to Birch Road, Otay Mesa Transit Center, and Oleander Avenue to Heritage Road) all began at various points throughout 2017 and currently are ongoing. Construction of these three segments is expected to be complete and open to users by spring 2019.
• Mid-Coast Light Rail Transit (LRT) (Project No. 5) – With more than a year of construction completed, the extension of the Mid-Coast Trolley to University City started a new phase in January as crews moved from construction along the sidewalks of Genesee Avenue into the median of the major arterial road. Construction began on the columns that will support the Trolley’s viaduct, a bridge structure that will carry the light rail Trolley down the middle and 35 feet above Genesee Avenue. Residents and employees in University City will see substantial progress on the columns over the next several weeks. The construction of the columns will follow with the placement of reinforcing steel forms, and filling of the forms with concrete. Construction of the columns will start just north of La Jolla Village Drive and move north up to Regents Road. The final phase of column construction for the Genesee viaduct will start at Nobel Drive and proceed north to La Jolla Village Drive. The project is anticipated to be opened to the public in 2021.
• Coastal Rail Trail Encinitas: E Street to Chesterfield Drive (Project No. 31) – This project completed the design phase in January 2018, and is expected to begin construction in spring 2018. The project is being delivered by utilizing the Construction Manager/General Contractor method to add efficiencies during the construction phase. When built, this project will provide a 1.3-mile walking and biking path along the east side of the railroad tracks near San Elijo Avenue, from Chesterfield Drive to the Santa Fe Drive undercrossing.
• I-5/Genesee Avenue Interchange (Project No. 70) – This project currently is under construction and is nearly 90 percent complete. When completed, the project will replace the existing six-lane Genesee Avenue overpass with a ten-lane structure that will accommodate current and future traffic demands. Along with the replacement of the overcrossing, the project also will widen the freeway access ramps, add an auxiliary lane in the northbound direction on I-5 between Genesee Avenue and Roselle Street, and construct a new, separated bicycle/pedestrian path. The project is scheduled to open in spring 2018.
• SANDAG Regional Vanpool Program: The Regional Vanpool Program provides commuters with a cost-effective alternative to driving alone. The second quarter of the fiscal year ended with 696 vanpools and more than 5,231 vanpool program participants. Participation in the vanpool program has grown by six vans since the start of the fiscal year. Participants in the Regional Vanpool Program reduced over 31.3 million vehicle miles, more than 1.5 million gallons of gasoline, and over 30 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in the second quarter.

The SANDAG TransNet Project Office monitors the progress of the TransNet Early Action Program (EAP) projects. Additional TransNet EAP project schedule information can be viewed in the TransNet Dashboard. Updated monthly schedules are compared to the baseline schedules, which are established for a given phase at the time the phase is fully funded.