Port Joins Other Agencies in Celebrating Barrio Logan Traffic Improvements

A turning point was reached in early July when the Port, the City of San Diego and Caltrans witnessed the completion of a street improvement project that will result in decreased truck traffic for the Barrio Logan community. The three agencies worked together on the project, which widened the Interstate 5 /28th Street ramp so that commercial trucks would be able to access it. The intent is to have all commercial truck traffic use the new freeway ramp instead of driving through the residential streets of the community. A press conference to publicize the 28th Street ramp improvements was held on July 6 at the site. Commissioner Stephen Cushman, City of San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, 40th District State Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny and Caltrans State Director Will Kempton joined members of the community to celebrate.

The Port of San Diego has been working with the Barrio Logan community for at least two years to find solutions to the increasing truck traffic through their neighborhood. In late 2006, the Port, the City of San Diego and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) completed a project to make improvements to Crosby Road and Cesar Chavez Parkway and upgrade the rail crossing. Arising from that project were new regulations prohibiting commercial truck traffic from the nearby Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal onto Cesar Chavez Parkway. Signs were added instructing the drivers to turn right onto Harbor Drive to enter Interstate 5 from either the 28th Street on-ramp or the 32nd Street on-ramp.

Following the July 6 press conference, the Port of San Diego held a community celebration at Perkins Elementary School to thank the Barrio Logan residents for their patience and cooperation in helping to find solutions to the truck traffic. Hundreds of children from the neighborhood were treated to hot dogs and snow cones and enjoyed a giant inflatable “jump”.

Community member John Alvarado and Kelly Thomas from Katz & Associates hand out toy trucks to the children at the Port’s community event to celebrate street improvements in the Barrio Logan neighborhood.

Also in this issue…

Update on Chula Vista Bayfront Development

Travel Publication Gives Port of San Diego Best Cruise Homeport Award

Second Half of Draft Maritime Master Plan Presented

North Embarcadero Visionary Plan JPA meeting July 26

Update on Chula Vista Bayfront Development

The Board of Port Commissioners was extremely saddened and disappointed to hear about Gaylord Entertainment’s decision to withdraw its proposal to build a $1 billion hotel and convention center resort on the Chula Vista bayfront. This project would have provided a jump-start to the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan, a joint project between the Port, the City of Chula Vista and Pacifica Companies. The project encompasses 550 acres of mixed-use development including parks and open spaces, office, retail and residential areas.

The Port and the City of Chula Vista will look to the future and will continue with plans associated with the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan. We have completed the demolition of the former BF Goodrich South Campus project and now all 63 industrial structures have been removed. That project was essential for the future extension of H Street and has already improved the views to the bayfront.

Travel Publication Gives Port of San Diego Best Cruise Homeport Award

San Diego has been voted best homeport for cruises in a national survey by TravelAge West, a leading source of travel industry news. The Port of San Diego beat out several other cruise ports – including hot spots like Miami and Ft. Lauderdale – to earn the coveted Western Agents Vote of Excellence (WAVE) Award. Rita Vandergaw, the Port’s Director of Marketing, accepted the honor on behalf of the Port at an awards ceremony on June 7 in Beverly Hills, California.

Readers of TravelAge West gave the homeport honor to the Port after voting on a best-of-the-best list selected by the publication’s Editor-in-Chief and editorial team. That list was compiled after an intensive review of homeports throughout the United States. The review included product analysis, on-site visits, a survey of a select group of travel agents and online research. The publication’s subscribers include travel agents, travel suppliers and travel industry professionals.

TravelAge West Editor-in-Chief, Ken Shapiro presents Rita Vandergaw, the Port’s Director of Marketing with the WAVE Award.

Second Half of Draft Maritime Master Plan Presented

At the July 10 Board of Port Commissioners meeting, the second half of the draft Maritime Business Plan was presented by the Port’s consultants, TEC, Inc. The consultants studied the Port’s two marine terminals and came up with three possible scenarios for improvements. The consultants found that both terminals needed to increase space to keep up with the continued cargo growth.

The first half of the draft Maritime Business Plan was presented in May. The plan demonstrated that maritime cargo could grow at an annual rate of 15 percent. It also found that maritime operations generated $1.6 billion annually and supported 19,298 regional jobs. In addition, it highlighted that $100 million in state and local taxes are generated from maritime activity at the Port.

The next step for the Maritime Business Plan includes collecting feedback from the public on the recommended scenarios and returning to the Board of Port Commissioners at the end of the year for recommendations.

North Embarcadero Visionary Plan JPA meeting July 26

The Port will be hosting the next Joint Powers Authority Meeting for the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 26 in the boardroom of the Administration Building.

Closely tied in to the project is the development of Lane Field. Representatives from Lane Field San Diego Developers, Inc., will give a presentation on the Lane Field project. There will also be presentations on three City of San Diego projects that will be built on nearby city-owned parcels. These include a project by the Irvine Company to be located on the northeast corner of Broadway and Pacific Highway; a development by Bosa, which will be on the southeast corner of Broadway and Pacific Highway and the Navy Broadway Complex, located at Broadway and Harbor Drive.