Latest news with #SANDAG
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Residents weigh in on SANDAG's rail realignment proposals along Del Mar bluffs
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Public input is pouring in on the San Diego Association of Governments' (SANDAG) latest proposals to reroute the The LOSSAN (Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo) rail corridor along Del Mar's deteriorating coastline. A large crowd turned out Thursday night at a music venue on the Del Mar fairgrounds to hear from project managers and share their thoughts, which will ultimately help SANDAG further refine how the project will evolve over time. It comes after SANDAG released a new Notice of Preparation on May 16, teeing up a 30-month environmental review process which will eventually lead to a report. 'I was actively playing on the bluffs west of the tracks with my son who is 27 as he was growing up, and that's all gone,' said local resident, Jack Jaeger. 'So, I've watched 25 feet go in 44 years.' Jaeger knows first-hand just how bad the coastal bluff erosion is near his 10th street home in Del Mar. He wants a seat at the table when decisions are made to realign the rail lines. Up for debate are four options undergoing further study by the SANDAG Board of Directors. 'What we're looking for in this project is to make the lines safer, efficient and resilient,' said Keri Robinson, SANDAG's deputy director of Mega Projects, Border, and Goods Movement. One option would involve tunneling under Camino Del Mar, while another would move the tracks from the San Dieguito bridge to Interstate 5, also involving some tunneling. There's also the option to tunnel under Crest Canyon or keeping the tracks where they are but adding double tracking. Or there's a no-build option, which would involve more stabilization efforts. 'I think it's ludacris, absolutely ludacris,' said Jaeger. 'Darn near legally actionable for them to maintain the tracks on the bluffs.' Opinions vary widely on the best way forward with the multi-billion-dollar project. 'I think it makes more sense to go under Camino Del Mar,' said Gary Hoffman, who lives on the outskirts of Del Mar on Racetrack View Drive. 'It would be easier, faster, less money.' He said if the tracks move close to where he lives, noise is a major concern. 'So, I'd rather see it some other place, which is kind of what everybody wants – not in my backyard,' Hoffman continued. The public will have until June 30 to provide comment on the four realignment options. Other ways to share your feedback include the following: — Email: lossancomments@ — Mail: SANDAG, Attn: LOSSAN Comments, 1011 Union St., Ste 400, San Diego, CA 92101 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Caltrans seeks feedback on proposed I-15/SR-78 interchange, added bike path
ESCONDIDO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — After years of discussions surrounding improvements to the Interstate 15/State Route 78 interchange in North County, Caltrans and other agencies involved unveiled a draft of the environmental impact report on the project Monday. The interchange project is a collaboration between California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 11, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the city of San Marcos. The agencies released a draft environmental impact report on the proposed project Monday. Why is the 15 freeway in San Diego both a state route and an interstate? The estimated $490 million project aims to build a managed lanes connector ramp at the I-15 interchange with SR-78 in Escondido. It would also extend the remaining managed lanes on I-15 for three miles west in both directions on SR-78. According to Caltrans, the reason for this is due to the east end of the SR-78 corridor having the most traffic congestion in the area. In addition, more than half of westbound traffic from the I-15/SR-78 interchange result from the first three exits along that portion of the state route, according to early traffic studies and planning data. Another aspect of the project would reconstruct the Barham Drive and Woodland Parkway interchange to accommodate the new lanes. It would also add a separate pathway for bicyclists and pedestrians. Depending on funding, construction is anticipated to begin in 2030. More information about the project can be found here on the Caltrans website. To gather feedback on project elements, Caltrans and SANDAG will host a public hearing at the city of San Marcos Civic Center, located at 3 Civic Center Drive, on Thursday, June 5 from 6-7:30 p.m. For those who would like to submit comments in other ways, they can do so online at or They can also email either of the following: or 11_2T240_project_inbox@ Other ways to submit input on the project are by calling (619) 533-4277 or sending written comment to 'Matthew Voss, Senior Environmental Planner, Caltrans District 11, 4050 TaylorStreet, MS 242, San Diego, CA 92110.' The 45-day public comment period ends July 3. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Community feedback needed on LOSSAN rail realignment plans
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — SANDAG has proposed four alternatives for relocating train tracks from the eroding cliffs of Del Mar, and public feedback will be open for nearly two months. The cliffs of Del Mar are eroding at an average rate of six inches per year, posing a risk to the train tracks currently situated on the edge. SANDAG's proposed solutions for relocating the San Diego Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail in that area includes three tunnel options under Del Mar and one option to reinforce and double-track the current cliffside location. The Mayor and city council of Del Mar have expressed opposition to the current options and have suggested a different location not included in SANDAG's proposals. The Pink, Blue, and Yellow Line options involve constructing tunnels at various locations under Del Mar, aiming to move the tracks away from the unstable cliffs. These options are part of SANDAG's efforts to address the erosion issue. The Green Line option proposes reinforcing the existing tracks on the cliffs by double tracking them, despite the ongoing erosion. SANDAG has also included a 'no build' option, which would leave the tracks in their current location without any modifications. On Feb. 28, 2025, the SANDAG moved forward with proposed project goals, objectives, and alternative alignments, including a no build alternative, into environmental document process. An updated NOP of a Draft Environmental Impact Report was released in May, starting a 45-day scoping period to collect feedback. As SANDAG continues to plan for the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the San Diego LOSSAN Rail Realignment project, they are asking the community to read the notice and share your comments by June 30, 2025. A public scoping meeting will be held at The Sound at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on May 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for project updates and to allow the public to provide comments on the scope and content of the Draft Environmental Impact Report. Public input will be taken at the meeting and can be provided in person, or in writing via letter, email, or online. Written comments on the scope of the EIR should be sent: Via mail to SANDAG, 1011 Union Street, Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92101, ATTN: LOSSAN Comments Via email to lossancomments@ with subject line 'SDLRR Project NOP' Online at Due to the time limits mandated by state law, responses must be sent at the earliest possible date, but no later than June 30, 2025. Public feedback is open for 45 days so residents and stakeholders can voice their opinions on the proposed alternatives. For more information on this project, the scoping period, or the environmental process, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Unused '$10 million' highway to southern border crossing is DEMOLISHED amid Trump migrant crackdown
A highway connecting a planned port of entry in Mexico and southern California is being demolished as President Donald Trump ramps up his mass deportation goals. Bulldozers have been seen tearing up a quarter mile of roadway that would have linked Tijuana and Otay Mesa, a neighborhood southeast of San Diego. The road, an extension of state route 11, was built two years ago and was set to lead right to the new Otay Mesa Port of Entry East, a facility that has been fully built on the Mexican side. This port of entry, which will have 'state-of-the-art inspection facilities', is being created to relieve traffic at the existing border facility in Otay Mesa. However, the American side of the port has yet to be built at all. It is two years behind schedule and is now being redesigned by the San Diego Association of Governments, according to Border Report. It comes weeks after the Department of Transportation said it would be officially disbursing the $150 million grant, first approved under the Biden administration, to build the border crossing facility on the American side. The April 15 announcement confirmed that the Trump administration came to a altered agreement with state authorities that got rid of a 'zero-emission vehicle charging provision.' It is unclear whether new demands from Trump officials are the reason the road is being torn up. The cost of the demolition is approximately $4 million on top of the $10 million that went into building it in the first place, a contractor told Border Report. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have said they are 'currently collaborating with federal partners on the project's final design.' 'Thanks to the prior administration's lack of focus, this critical project sat in limbo for two years. No more,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. 'We moved to finalize this deal so we can help protect our Southern border and crack down on drug trafficking while preventing tax dollars subsidizing pointless Green New Deal priorities.' approached the White House and the Department of Transportation for comment. SANDAG said they plan to break ground on the port of entry by this fall. They anticipate it to be fully operational by late 2027. Federal and state officials say the port will strengthen border security while also providing another option for commercial and passenger vehicles to move between California and Baja California. The San Ysidro border crossing, approximately five miles away from the one in Otay Mesa, is already the busiest thoroughfare into the United States, welcoming an average of 40,000 personal vehicles per day from Mexico last year. As of 6am PDT on Tuesday the average wait time to cross at San Ysidro was 95 minutes, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The new port of entry in Otay Mesa will 'provide an alternative for nearly 3,600 trucks that cross the existing Otay Mesa and Tecate Ports of Entry daily, which are operating at capacity,' according to the Department of Transportation. Recreational vehicles travelling through the port will be subject to dynamic tolling, a system where tolls are priced based on the level of congestion on the road. The port will also be equipped with state-of-the-art inspection equipment for Border Patrol officers and a Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility, where federal agents will be able to inspect the cargo of trucks to make sure they do not have illegal contraband or exceed the weight limits of state highways. Efforts to make crossings between Mexico and Southern California more efficient come as Trump is looking to make good on his campaign promises of securing the border and deporting a record number of illegal migrants. US Border Patrol continues to stem the immigration flow into the US, announcing in April that it had apprehended a record low average of 264 migrants per day in March. This is a 95 percent decrease from March 2024, when border patrol agents arrested an average of 4,488 migrants per day. The Trump administration has run into resistance from civil liberties advocates who are suing over the government's attempts to rapidly deport illegal migrants. One of the most notable cases is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was living in Maryland and was mistakenly deported to a notoriously hellish prison in El Salvador. The government insists that the El Salvador native is a member of MS-13, but multiple courts have expressed skepticism, with the Supreme Court ordering Trump to 'facilitate' the return of Garcia to the US so he can be given due process. In the meantime, the Trump administration unveiled a new plan offering migrants up to $1,000 if they choose to voluntarily leave the country.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SANDAG plans $260M project to restore San Diego beaches
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Coastal cities all have the same problem — sand diminishes over time naturally. The question is, how do you support replenishment without breaking the bank of taxpayers? The natural sand that makes up the 70 miles of coastline along the Pacific Ocean in San Diego County is decreasing more than it naturally would because of upstream dams blocking sand from flowing down the rivers onto the beaches. Sea Cliff Park in Del Mar closing for over a year due to bluff stabilization work So how do we solve the problem? The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is proposing a $260 million sand replenishment project that would replenish the sand on 18 beaches from Oceanside to Imperial Beach. The project also includes Dana Point and San Clemente. Peregrine falcon chicks to be seen soon at Torrey Pines State Beach SANDAG Board Member and Mayor of Del Mar, Terry Gaasterland, was live on KUSI Monday morning to break down the project. Gaasterland said the project, which is still in the beginning planning stages, would take 5.8 million cubic yards of sand, or about 1,000 football fields filled with 3-foot-deep sand, from an area one-mile offshore of the San Diego coast, to be added to the beaches. Dredging to take place in Oceanside Harbor through Memorial Day The project next needs board approval from SANDAG. The state of California has also submitted a grant, requesting state and federal funds for the project. Gaasterland said that as a board member, she is interested in what is driving the coasts upward and would like to see a breakdown of the line items as the project costs nearly 10 times more, and would produce triple the amount of sand than the last project back in 2012. But she also noted cost increases are being seen in all projects that are happening in our region currently. Oceanside City Council approves location for RE:BEACH pilot project Gaasterland also spoke briefly on the City of Oceanside's proposed pilot project to construct an artificial reef in an effort to retain sand on Oceanside beaches. Once the funding is in place and the project is approved, construction would then be able to begin. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
