Normal Street Promenade’s $27M construction to begin in November

Construction on the long-anticipated Normal Street Promenade will begin in November after SANDAG’s board of directors approved a $27.5 million contract with Griffith Company. SANDAG and City of San Diego are working together on the project, with SANDAG spending $10.3 million to complete the Eastern Hillcrest Bikeway along University Ave. and Normal St. while the city’s $17.1 million contribution funds the expansion of Pride Plaza into a linear public park with a restored trolley car cafe, decorative elements, playground, parking additions plus streetscape and sewer improvements.

closer vigil 750x1000 — Candle light vigils and memorials for the LGBTQ+ community have been held at Pride Plaza, including a gathering after the Colorado Club Q shooting in 2022.

The Pride Plaza, which currently consists of a small island with the Pride flag, is the location for weekly events like the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market and less regular events like the Pride parade, vigils and block parties. Benjamin Nicholls of the Hillcrest Business Association (HBA) noted in public comment to City Council that patrol cars had to be dispatched just a week before the Sept. 9 meeting for a memorial at the plaza which drew such a large crowd, police had to close Normal Street.

“This space is already our gathering space and we have outgrown what exists there now,” Nicholls said. The HBA will manage the space once completed.

Hillcrest, which severely lacks parks and public amenities, has had plans for some form of public area on Normal Street since the 1988 Uptown Community Plan. For more than a decade, Hillcrest community groups have been advocating for the expansion of the area surrounding the Pride flag with Uptown Community Parking District even setting aside $1.8 million for it.

“The Normal Street Promenade is also a significant milestone for our LGBTQ+ community, establishing a vibrant space that celebrates diversity and inclusion,” Councilmember Stephen Whitburn said after making a motion to approve a $9 million budget increase for the project, which the rest of the council unanimously agreed to pay.

sut l plaza cost 0910 02 — A rainbow bikeway and playground are included in Normal Street Promenade plans. (Renderings courtesy City of San Diego)

Hillcrest residents largely support the project, with some concerned about the cost increases. Longtime density critic Mat Wahlstrom said, “It’s outrageous we’re being asked to underwrite another cost overrun on this boondoggle.”

City Council defended the major budget increase, noting the long-planned project budget was based on old estimates not reflective of current construction costs. “Every single infrastructure project in the country is going up,” Councilmember Marni von Wilpert said.

Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera was concerned contractors might exploit the economic environment to overcharge, but was assured that all four bids submitted to SANDAG had similar costs. Griffith Company was awarded the contract for providing the lowest bid. SANDAG and the city integrated the project rather than doing it sequentially to cut construction costs and time while redoing Normal St.

The rainbow crosswalk on Normal St., which also took years of sustained effort from city staff, former council members like Asm. Chris Ward, and community advocates to implement, will remain— just short one leg.

As for the upcoming 1.7 miles of bikeway, it includes traffic calming measures, high-visibility crosswalks and curb extensions. The bikeway begins on University Ave. at SR-163 with a buffered bike lane before splitting north on Normal St. to Lincoln Ave. and south on Herbert St. before continuing on Robinson Ave. and Park Blvd. The smaller roads will only have shared lane markings before the buffered bike lane begins again on Park Blvd. The section on Normal Street features rainbow stripes. “This project will significantly improve safety and infrastructure in Hillcrest,” Whitburn said.

The bikeway links Hillcrest with North Park as part of the SANDAG board-approved Regional Bike Plan Early Action Program. It is the second of four segments making up the Uptown Bikeway Projects meant to connect Uptown, Downtown, Old Town, North Park and Mission Valley. So far, only the Fourth and Fifth Avenue Bikeways are complete with Washington Street and Bachman Place Bikeways still in the design phase. Bikeways in Mission Hills and Old Town will come later.

SANDAG estimates Normal Street Promenade will be open to the public beginning in Nov. 2026 although construction is not expected to be completed until Nov. 2027.