Harbor Drive 2.0/Vesta Bridge Port Access Improvements Project

Enhancing Freight and CommunityMobility in San Diego’s Working Waterfront

Project Overview

The Port of San Diego’s Tenth Avenue and National City Marine Terminals are critical to San Diego’s Working Waterfront industrial area. The marine terminals and rail yards accommodate freight vessels, trains, and trucks for international and domestic trade, but they impact nearby communities, schools, and transit centers.

Purpose and Need

The purpose of this project is to:

  1. Develop a connected, sustainable freight corridor.
  2. Enhance connections and access between Port and Naval gates.
  3. Reduce impacts of freight on Port-side Environmental Justice Neighborhoods along the Harbor Drive Corridor.
  4. Improve mobility at the five-legged intersection at Norman Scott Road, 32nd Street, and Wabash Street.

Continued growth without intervention will worsen congestion on local roads and spread truck traffic onto restricted residential streets. Harbor Drive, 28th Street, and 32nd Street are the designated truck routes between the marine terminals, State Route 15, and Interstate 5.

Project Goals

The project proposes constructing a Vesta Street Bridge over Harbor Drive and railroads to connect the “wet” and “dry” sides of Naval Base San Diego. It also proposes constructing dedicated truck lanes, queue jumps, freight signal priority, and other Intelligent Transportation System technologies and installing electric charging infrastructure to support zero-emission trucks along Harbor Drive.

Project Schedule and Funding Status

Project Approval and Environmental Document Completion

Winter 2023

Project Completion

Winter 2028

Funding Sources

Coordinated Border Infrastructure Program (CBI) & Trade Corridor Enhancement Program (TCEP)

Project Cost

$131.2 million