SAN DIEGO — For those who live just south of the 8 freeway in Mission Hills, Hillcrest and Bankers Hill, getting to Mission Valley below can be a bit of a headache. The traffic navigating the area can be difficult and it can often be backed up when trying to get on the 163.
Between Texas street and Presidio Park, there’s only one way to get to Mission Valley without getting on the freeway – and as of April 4, it will be closed for more than two years.
"I mean it sucks because you know going down Bachman takes us right to the 8, or the 163 wherever you need to go," said Guillermo Salinas who lives right on Bachman near the construction
The windy road takes you from the bottom of Mission Valley in Hotel Circle to the UCSD health Medical Center in Hillcrest. The road was built by UCSD as a private, gated road in 1985 specifically for the employee garage before it was opened up for the public in the 90s.
"About half the traffic on Bachman place is UC San Diego Health employees," says Lisa Rhodes the Chief Administrative Officer for the UCSD Health Hillcrest Redevelopment project "The other half would be neighbors, visitors, residents of the community. So what it means is we're going to be rerouting that traffic for the next 24 months."
The construction is a part of the hospital's 15-year plan to completely redesign the Hillcrest campus.
"Thirty-six of the 38 structures on the campus will be knocked down and rebuilt," says Rhodes "Over the 15 years of this project will be transforming the neighborhood bringing world-class medical care to this community."
The first phase of the construction just started on Bachman Place, the plan is to add a new 250,000 square foot outpatient building as well as widen the road for transit and a bike lane.
Unfortunately, that means this vital thoroughfare will be closed for two years to all who are not UCSD employees looking to use the parking garage.
While Salinas will have to find an alternative route to get to the freeway, he says what he’s really worried about is the street parking that the construction is eliminating.
"I work in health care, too. And when I come home, I don't find parking," he said. "So you know, with all this new stuff coming up, the residential parking is gonna be worse."
For now, only time will tell how the closure of Bachman affects traffic in the area and parking for those living by the hospital.
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