Caltrans District 11 (Caltrans) has a proud history of proactive thinking to meet the ever-increasing transportation needs and quality-of-life challenges of the growing San Diego and Imperial County populations. By being at the forefront of changing transportation thinking and technology, Caltrans and its regional transportation planning partner, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), work together to fulfill their vision to promote a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system that enhances the local economy and livability.
Caltrans and SANDAG have transitioned away from traditional, highway-only, linear improvement projects and instead employs a “Complete Corridor” approach when evaluating proposed transportation improvements. The agencies have found that the integration of highway, transit and environmental projects provides a net benefit to the community and local resources because it allows the streamlining of project planning, approval and construction, and unlocking opportunities that might otherwise not have been possible.
This new “Complete Corridor” approach helps to create balanced sets of multi-modal transportation projects to meet a variety of land use and stakeholder needs. These corridor-focused packages contain enhancements that encourage carpooling and transit use, protect important environmental resources, aid in critical first- and last-mile alternate commuting solutions, and improve local community connections. SANDAG is exploring how the complete corridors concept can be integrated with a more holistic approach to moving people and goods in the San Diego region through 5 Big Moves. The 5 Big Moves – Complete Corridors, Transit Leap, Mobility Hubs, Flexible Fleets, and Next Operating System (OS) – are key strategies that will enhance connectivity, increase safety and sustainability, and improve quality of life.
A regional project that exemplifies the Complete Corridors concept is Caltrans and SANDAG’s and partner agency SANDAG’s, North Coast Corridor (NCC) Program, a $6 billion, 40-year vision to improve the north-south highway and rail travel corridor that traverses six coastal cities, from La Jolla, in the City of San Diego, to the City of Oceanside.
This program features a multitude of transportation and quality-of-life improvements that include: adding 27 miles of Express Lanes to Interstate 5 (I-5); double tracking 99 percent of the 60-mile LOSSAN rail corridor with accompanying station and rail platform upgrades; building over 30 miles of new bike and pedestrian trails that facilitate alternate commuting as well as local trips; improving more than 30 highway overpasses with safer and more efficient bicycle and pedestrian pathways for increased coastal access; and restoring, enhancing or preserving over 1,200 acres of environmental and coastal resources.
In 2014, Caltrans led an innovative effort to environmentally clear the entire 40-year North Coast Corridor Program, receiving unanimous approval from the California Coastal Commission for its Public Works Plan/Transportation and Resource Enhancement Program (PWP/TREP). The PWP/TREP was the first comprehensive blueprint of its kind, laying out a phased, integrated approach to implement and permit more than 80 projects within the North Coast Corridor during the coming decades.
North Coast Corridor program includes the use of Construction Manager General Contractor (CMGC), a unique design-bid-build model for Phase One of the North Coast Corridor improvements in the cities of Solana Beach, Encinitas and Carlsbad. CMGC allowed Caltrans to bring in a contractor during the design process for their insight and feedback. Allowing a construction expert to help the project team identify and work through potential issues earlier in project design minimizes project risk, builds a stronger partnership between Caltrans, SANDAG, and the contractor, and ultimately saves time and money during construction.
Transportation is changing rapidly, and Caltrans and SANDAG are committed to remaining leaders in delivering state-of-the-art transportation improvements for their stakeholders, resource agencies and partners through leadership, innovation and teamwork. Programs like NCC prove that agency partnership, strategic planning and continued support from the community can lead to “Complete Corridors” and a greater mobility for the San Diego region. Caltrans and SANDAG are excited for the technology-based future of transportation and is taking steps to adapt the NCC vision to meet the needs of San Diego travelers for years to come.
