Metropolitan Transit Service trolleys will serve the University of San Diego, California and the University Towne Centre as soon as 2015 following a unanimous decision by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) board July 23 to approve one of three proposed routes for the extension. The board upheld a recommendation to select light rail transit Alternative 1, which would extend service “north from Old Town Transit Center along the existing rail corridor just east of I-5, cross over I-5 south of Nobel Drive continuing to serve UCSD, then cross to the east side of I-5 at or near Voigt Drive and head south along Genesee Avenue to a transit center at University Towne Centre,” according to SANDAG officials. Anne Steinberger, marketing manager for SANDAG, said the 11-mile extension will cost $1.2 billion and is expected to serve an additional 20,000 riders per day. Currently, around 100,000 people ride the trolley daily. In a series of public meetings, SANDAG officials gathered public feedback regarding three potential extension options. Steinberger said Alternative 1 received the most favorable feedback, with unanimous support from the University City Planning Group. Another option, Alternative 3, would have cut through Rose Canyon. Alternative 6 would not extend as far north and would have included sharp curves. “We had a lot of public feedback to stay out of Rose Canyon,” Steinberger said. Now that the project has gained the SANDAG board’s approval, Steinberger said, the environmental review process can begin. “The review is expected to take a year and we plan to release a draft document in summer of 2011,” she said. “We will look at the impacts of this route as they pertain to noise, visual and biological effects.” Meanwhile, SANDAG also plans to start the process for requesting funding from the Federal Transit Administration. The application must be submitted by November and could be approved by February of next year. The group will begin design and preliminary engineering activities once the environmental review is completed, Steinberger said. “This extension of the trolley system has been on the book since 1987,” Steinberger said. “It’s anticipated to be a real asset to the community. It gives access to one of the main universities and job centers.” She said construction would also provide employment opportunities. Because the extension will be to the north, Steinberger said existing trolley services should continue relatively uninterrupted. “It’s expected to be minimal at this point,” she said.