Summary

As the largest public transportation endeavor in San Diego’s history, this $2 billion project, titled the Mid-Coast Trolley expansion, with range from the Mexican border to UC-San Diego – expects to retain 21,000 new daily riders while reducing traffic and pollution in one of California’s most populated areas.

Trolley expansion has been in the plans for years, and is the most aggressive trolley project in San Diego’s history. It received environmental and California Coastal Commission approval in November 2014 and July 2016, respectively. Preliminary work, including underground public utilities, is under way. Above ground construction should begin near the end of October with completion pegged for 2021.

Funding

The federal government has allocated $1 billion to the trolley expansion, and TransNet, a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1987 for transportation related repair expenditures, is covering the balance. The budget allows for 36 new trolley cars to run on the 11 miles of new track.

Location

The project will bring 9 new trolley station stops with access from Old Town to many popular coastal San Diego communities, including Linda Vista, Clairemont, Mission Beach, University City and La Jolla. In addition, the trolley’s final stop is slated for the UC San Diego transit center. With the expanded location, many more residents will have the opportunity to reach school, work, the hospital and other destinations without having to hop in a car. Furthermore, it will only take approximately one hour and 10 minutes to ride the entire length of the trolley from the border to UCSD.

Government Takings

To make way for the new track, the government took more than 40 properties through eminent domain. On the positive side, however, all residential properties remain intact.

Community Benefits

The project forecasts the creation of more than 14,000 new San Diego jobs with approximately $116 million in annual monetary savings, traffic reduction, and easing of parking woes. The project should also mitigate the impact of San Diego’s quickly growing population, especially in and around the mid-coastal region.

Along with decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from fewer vehicles on the road, the project is set to shorten bus routes, and redirect others to designated trolley stations. This all serves to help San Diego meet its objective of 100 percent renewable energy use by 2035.

Further, UCSD students should be equally excited about the idea of having a trolley stop on campus. To that end, the Triton-U transit program provides each UCSD student with an unlimited pass to ride the trolley.

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Michael J. Libutti is a Broker and Attorney at Class Realty Group’s San Diego office. Reach him by email at mlibutti@classrealtygroup.com or by phone at 858-220-4295.