Near-Term Action – Regional Military Base Multimodal Access Strategy

The San Diego region is home to the largest concentration of military forces in the country, employing over 100,000 active-duty military personnel and approximately 25,000 civilians. The military presence generates significant positive economic impacts on the region while also creating considerable vehicular traffic congestion at key base and port access points. Today, most military personnel and civilians accessing the region’s military bases and the Port of San Diego drive alone. With increasing population and the national defense’s “Pivot to the Pacific,” congestion is projected to worsen unless more sustainable transportation options are implemented. Traffic congestion at base and port access points impacts our national security, community livability, and climate change.

In December 2016, in collaboration with the San Diego Regional Military Working Group, SANDAG submitted a Caltrans Strategic Partnership Planning grant proposal to fund development of a San Diego Regional Military Multimodal Access Strategy which would identify multimodal transportation solutions facilitating access to military installations while reducing greenhouse gas emissions consistent with San Diego Forward: The Regional Plan. In May 2017, SANDAG was notified that it received the grant and will be initiating the project in Fiscal Year 2018.

The Strategy will assemble and prioritize a list of projects, operational improvements, and programs that could be implemented to address traffic congestion at key military base and port access points, providing travelers with options to driving alone. A primary goal is to facilitate access while reducing greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with SANDAG’s Regional Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy. Bringing together the region’s military installations, adjacent local jurisdictions, the Port of San Diego, Caltrans, the region’s transit operators, and SANDAG, the Strategy is intended to enhance planned regional transportation investments with supportive regional and local projects, operational improvements, and programs. Most recently, a workshop was held on December 3, 2018 to refine the list of projects and programs for inclusion in the Multimodal Access Strategy (MMAS).