Port Freeway Access Project Moves Forward with Approval of Funds to CalTrans

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

The Port of San Diego is working with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) and the cities of San Diego and National City on the Port Freeway Access Program. One of the main goals of the program is to provide direct truck access to Interstates 5 and 15, rather than having them travel through the neighborhood. There are four separate freeway access projects. The projects are located at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal at Cesar Chavez Parkway, Harbor Drive at 32nd Street, Bay Marina Drive and Interstate 5 in National City and Harbor Drive at Civic Center Drive in National City.

At the September 2 Board of Port Commissioners meeting, a resolution was passed that allows the Port to give CalTrans $800,000 of Federal funding from the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act, which authorized $3.6 million to be used for freeway access enhancements on the I-5 corridor serving the Port of San Diego. The $800,000 amount to CalTrans will be used to begin the design of the grade separation project at 32nd street between I-15 and Harbor Drive.

The Harbor Drive at 32nd Street project proposes an elevated structure in the median of Harbor Drive that will connect to Interstate 15 over the freight, rail and trolley tracks at the Harbor Drive and 32nd Street intersection. The project will also add direct connectors on eastbound Harbor Drive to both northbound and southbound I-15. This project will eliminate truck traffic on the already congested portion of Harbor Drive at 32nd Street. It will also eliminate railway conflicts that exist at this busy intersection.

The project at Tenth Avenue and Cesar Chavez Parkway entails constructing a two-lane, grade separated structure from the western side of Cesar Chavez Parkway over the railroad tracks that would turn right onto Harbor Drive, just before the on-ramp to the Coronado Bay Bridge. The proposed grade separation improvement would provide dedicated truck access from the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal gates onto the dedicated truck route and to the freeways. This project would deter trucks from going through the Barrio Logan community and eliminate delays caused by the railroad crossing, as well as reduce the potential of rail-related accidents.

The Bay Marina Drive at I-5 project would add more lanes to Bay Marina Drive. One additional lane in each direction would be added to this street which leads to the National City Marina Terminal. Other improvements include adding a right turn lane on Bay Marina Drive to the southbound I-5 ramp, adding a traffic signal to the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and Bay Marina Drive and extending the left turn lane on eastbound Bay Marina Drive from Cleveland Avenue to the northbound I-5 on-ramp.

A project planned for Harbor Drive at Civic Center Drive proposes to extend Tidelands Avenue so that it can provide a direct connection to Harbor Drive. This project would also add an additional northbound lane on Cleveland Avenue, a right turn lane on westbound Civic Center Drive and add through lanes in each direction on Civic Center Drive between Tidelands Avenue and Cleveland Avenue. In addition, the project will add a second lane to the northbound I-5 on-ramp that would line up with Wilson Avenue. It would also call for rebuilding a portion of the northbound I-5 Plaza Boulevard ramp structure, add a traffic signal to the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Civic Center Drive and add a second lane to the northbound I-5 ramp that would line up with Wilson Avenue.

All environmental processes for these projects must be completed by December 2010 and begin construction by 2013 in order to maintain funding by the State of California Trade Corridor Improvement Fund.

 

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