District: District 11 — San Diego and Imperial Counties
Contact: Stephen Welborn
Phone: (619) 688-6670
SAN DIEGO — Caltrans, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), and the Nature Collective joined local elected officials and community members today to unveil the $9 million San Elijo Activity Hub Park & Ride in the city of Encinitas. The park and ride is part of the $987 million Build NCC project that includes $195 million from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017; approximately $141 million in TransNet funding — the voter-approved half-cent sales tax administered by SANDAG; and $543 million in federal funds.
“The new San Elijo Activity Hub Park & Ride is a valuable addition to our community. This facility will reduce congestion by promoting ridesharing and active transportation use, increase coastal access throughout the North Coast Corridor, and provide parking for hiking the San Elijo lagoon, including Annie’s Canyon,” said SANDAG Second Vice Chair and Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner. “Through transportation enhancements like these, we’re building a more connected and equitable region that will better serve individuals of all ages and abilities.”
The San Elijo Activity Hub Park & Ride provides a convenient, centralized location where residents and visitors can park their vehicles and access the new carpool lanes on Interstate 5 and nearby paths and trails in and around the San Elijo Lagoon. It includes 177 parking spaces, bike racks, infrastructure for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, an interactive lagoon display, information on how to access the San Elijo Lagoon, and dedicated space for the upcoming “Fields of the Future” community gardens, which Nature Collective will manage. The new facility promotes ridesharing and active transportation use, helping to reduce congestion and increase coastal access within the North Coast Corridor.
“This versatile facility stands apart from a traditional Park & Ride by providing a direct connection to the highway for carpooling, trail access, and meeting the multimodal needs of the community by providing parking spaces for cars and bikes for lagoon visitors, in line with our goals of building a quicker, more equitable, and cleaner transportation system,” said Caltrans District 11 Director Gustavo Dallarda. “This $9 million facility is one component of the $987 million Build NCC project, the first phase of the NCC program, which includes federal, TransNet, and other state funding sources.”
There is currently no Park & Ride lot available for over six miles between Birmingham Drive and Sorrento Valley on I-5, which can cause overcrowded parking in neighborhoods adjacent to the freeway. The San Elijo Activity Hub Park & Ride will provide ample parking to relieve overflow into these neighborhoods and provide the opportunity for more visitors to explore the San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center, the San Elijo Joint Powers Authority Water Campus, and nearby trails. This area will also support carpooling to work, the beach, and more destinations throughout North County by providing a safe and accessible meeting space.
“The Build NCC project has created new recreational opportunities for cyclists, pedestrians, and hikers here in the City of Encinitas,” said Encinitas Mayor Tony Kranz. “Expanded trails and new bike lanes improve active transportation access at the south end of our City, and we’re pleased to host a mobility hub that will support a future community garden, more parking for San Elijo Lagoon visitors, and a Park and Ride facility that supports carpooling.”
The new San Elijo Activity Hub Park & Ride is just one project within the Build NCC program, which has completed more than 13 miles of Carpool/HOV Lanes on I-5, four sound walls, more than seven miles of bike and pedestrian trails, 1.5 miles of rail double-tracking, reconstruction of the Vista Point on southbound I-5 in Encinitas, restoration of 154 acres of wetlands within the San Elijo Lagoon, and over 400,000 cubic yards of sand added to local beaches.
“We are excited to have another access point that will allow more people to visit, connect with and experience the beauty and wonder of nature at San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and points beyond, now and in the future,” said Nature Collective Executive Director Doug Gibson. “We are happy to see this anticipated plan come to fruition and appreciate our long-standing collaboration with SANDAG, Caltrans, neighboring cities, and other agencies.”
SB 1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually, shared equally between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly thanks to the availability of SB 1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1. SANDAG leverages TransNet funding with state and federal resources to improve the region’s transportation infrastructure.
For more information on projects within the North Coast Corridor (NCC) Program, please visit BuildNCC.com.
For more information about California transportation projects funded by SB 1 and other programs, visit RebuildingCA.ca.gov.
For real-time traffic information, including traffic speed, lane and road closures due to construction and maintenance activities, and more, go to http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
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