CTC allocates more than US$260 million in transportation projects in San Diego
SAN DIEGO, CA – The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has allocated more than US$260 million in funding to the San Diego region to advance critical transportation projects, including transit, goods movement, rail, bike lanes and safety improvements.
Awards include more than US$260 million in competitive grants for the SR-11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry, Batiquitos Lagoon Bridge and Harbor Drive 2.0/Vesta Bridge Harbor Access Improvements Project through the Trade Corridor Enhancement Program (TCEP) and the Congested Corridor Solutions Program of Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Highway Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
CTC Commissioner Clarissa Falcon presented a check on behalf of the State of California to Caltrans District 11, SANDAG, the Port of San Diego and the North County Transit District at a press event on Friday, June 30. The event followed a meeting where the CTC invested nearly US$2 billion in improving the state’s transportation infrastructure and approved another US$2.3 billion for future projects.
“The infrastructure projects funded by this commitment are important because they create more mobility options and can help provide better access for people in our region and across our border,” Commissioner Falcón said.
Caltrans District 11 Director Gustavo Dallarda credited the unique partnerships in the San Diego region for administering these funds for local projects.
SANDAG and Caltrans received the largest award of TCEP funds: US$140 million to advance the federal State Route 11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry (OME POE) project. The OME POE will create a new, state-of-the-art land border crossing for the Cali-Baja region. The new port of entry will improve mobility and air quality at the border using state-of-the-art technologies. It will also help boost the economy and increase trade between the U.S. and Mexico.
“These state grants are great news for the San Diego region and represent an important investment in improving our community’s infrastructure,” said Nora Vargas, SANDAG Chair and San Diego County Supervisor.
A major US$103 million investment will allow SANDAG and the North County Transit District (NCTD) to put in place crucial rail infrastructure for the Build NCC Los Batiquitos Bridge project. The funds will go to replace an 80-year-old wooden bridge with a modern concrete rail bridge, adding 0.6 miles of double track across the Batiquitos Lagoon, connecting the cities of Carlsbad and Encinitas. These rail improvements are a crucial part of the double track improvements from the Orange County line to downtown San Diego, a vital part of the LOSSAN corridor.
Another US$18.5 million will benefit the Harbor Drive 2.0/Vesta Bridge port access improvements project, a partnership between the Port of San Diego, SANDAG and Caltrans. The Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue and National City marine terminals are critical to San Diego’s Working Waterfront industrial area. These terminals handle a wide range of commodities for both domestic and international trade. The port has invested tens of millions of dollars in reducing air emissions to improve air quality around the terminals and in the surrounding communities.
Harbor Drive 2.0 will bring several improvements, including the construction of truck-only lanes, queue jumps and the implementation of Intelligent Transportation System technologies.
The project will also include state-of-the-art electric charging infrastructure to support zero-emission trucks.
