Golden Hill CDC sees potential for park lid over section of highway at 22nd Street

By Dave Schwab | SDUN Reporter

Golden Hill residents packed San Diego Japanese Christian Church Saturday, June 1 to hear public officials discuss the proposed state Route 94 (SR 94) Express Lane expansion, a long-term infrastructure project directly impacting their neighborhood.

City of San Diego, Caltrans and San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) officials attended the community meeting, which was hosted by the Greater Golden Hill Community Development Corporation (GGHCDC).

“What this is all about is getting your feedback,” said Project Manager Andrew Rice at the meeting. Rice was presenting two alternate plans proposed to construct one express lane in each direction in a 2.7-mile stretch on SR 94 from 22ndStreet to Interstate 805, partially passing through Golden Hill. The project would not reduce the number of general-purpose lanes along SR 94.

The express lanes would accommodate new Bus Rapid Transit service as well as car and van pools linking South Bay and Downtown. The proposals would modify interchanges, ramps, and bridge over and under crossings, connecting to a wider network of express lanes on I-805 and, eventually, state Route 15 (SR 15).

Rice gave a slideshow presentation detailing Alternative 1, the “at-grade” alternative for the express lanes and Alternative 2, the “elevated” alternative for the project. Both alternatives would be constructed in the median of SR 94 beginning east of 22nd Street.

Alternative 1 would replace left-hand, freeway-to-freeway connectors at SR 94 and SR 15 with standard right-hand connectors; eliminate eastbound 32nd Street and westbound 49th Street on-ramps to SR 94; and remove the existing northbound SR 15 to westbound SR 94 loop connector.

Alternative 2 would see traffic transition to a two-mile-long elevated structure west of 28th Street and extending to Hilltop Drive on I-805, and would remove the existing eastbound on-ramp from 32nd Street to SR 94 in order to improve weaving and merging conditions.

Both alternatives are estimated to cost between $500 and $600 million, with funding coming from federal, state and local sources, including TransNet, the voter-approved, half-cent sales tax to help pay for transportation projects.

“We’re in the middle of the environmental phase and will have a draft [Environmental Impact Report] in fall 2014, with a final environmental document approved in 2015,” Rice said of the project’s timeline. Depending on funding, Rice said construction “could begin in 2017, ending in 2020.”

At the June 1 meeting, Golden Hill residents questioned public officials about the necessity of the SR 94 project. They expressed concerns about the cost, whether acquisition of public right-of-way by eminent domain would be required, whether the public would use Bus Rapid Transit, and what steps would be taken to mitigate impacts to Golden Hill from traffic and noise caused by express lane expansion.

Dave Schumacher, SANDAG principal transportation planner, answered that the expansion project would provide a critical link in the region’s multimodal transportation system, keeping pace with regional growth by streamlining the freeway system while offering viable alternatives to solo-vehicle travel.

“Our experience in North County has shown that people will use Bus Rapid Transit if it’s more convenient and more reliable, especially if the buses are more high end, offering amenities like comfort and higher speed,” Schumacher said. “Long-range transportation calls for increasing travel choices like buses, car and van pooling.”

Rice assured local residents that very little acquisition of public right-of-way would be required for the project. He said public officials would also work with local residents to guide them in deciding whether they would want to use mitigation measures, like sound walls, to reduce impacts from sound to their neighborhood from the project.

For some Golden Hill residents, SR 94’s proposed express lanes and construction through their neighborhood presents some tantalizing possibilities. One distinct possibility could include creating a “park lid” or cover over SR 94 between 22nd and 25th streets to add green and open spaces, in part to help revitalize the community.

After the June 1 community meeting, Judd Curran, GGHCDC board member, said in an email that local residents have long been disposed toward the park lid concept.

“The community today is in strong support for a park lid, and it could provide the opportunity for a world-class park that would have views of Downtown, San Diego Bay, the Coronado Bridge and more,” he said. “This park would close off the noise and air pollutants from blowing into our neighborhoods [and] it would reunite the communities of Golden Hill and Sherman Heights.”

Calling potential designs “low-maintenance” and “self supporting,” Curran said out-of-the-box concepts for a park lid could include:

• Solar panels

• An intimate outdoor music venue for concerts

• A new venue for the Golden Hill Farmers Market

• Street vendor kiosks, or a spot for food trucks to congregate

• An art wall where students from local schools could display art projects

• Native plant landscaping with interpretive signage

• A playground for children to play.

Rice and his project team have been holding public meetings on the project since 2010. Upcoming presentations include two for the city’s Southeastern and Eastern Area planning groups, and one scheduled Wednesday, June 12 for the Greater Golden Hill Planning Committee. That meeting takes place at the Balboa Golf Course Clubhouse, 2600 Golf Course Drive, at 6:30 p.m.

For additional meeting times, including two Community Enhancements Workshops in July, as well as maps and project outlines, visit keepsandiegomoving.com/sr-94-corridor/sr94-intro.aspx/.