SAN DIEGO — Caltrans is in the process of adding bike lanes to a busy stretch of Friars Road that passes over the I-15 freeway.
“Friars Road has long been frankly a punchline when it comes to talking about riding bikes in San Diego. Any change over there is welcome, frankly anything is better than nothing,” said Kevin Baross, Education Programs Manager at the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.
Baross says building out more bike lanes on Friars will help connect people to where they need to go.
“You’re going to see more of these bike facilities on places that people use every single day because that’s how they’re getting to work," said Baross. "That’s how they’re getting home. That’s how they’re getting to the store and to friends’ houses.”
CBS 8 reached out to Caltrans. They told us the year-long project, among other things, will add green-painted bike lanes on Friars from Mission Village Drive to Rancho Mission Road. The agency is also making improvements to the freeway on and off-ramps.
“It’s going to accommodate future increased traffic from the developments in the area. It’s going to make it safer for bicyclists," said Victor Mercado, the North Coast Corridor Director for Caltrans.
Mercado told CBS 8 that Caltrans is performing the work, but the project is funded by the City of San Diego through develop impact fees from new residential construction in the area.
Mercado said they’re adding more turn lanes that connect to the I-15 on-ramps, something that should help with traffic flow. He mentioned that there will be some intermittent lane closures throughout the construction process.
While bike lanes do have their critics, Baross told CBS 8 that these kinds of projects are a necessary step to make the city more bikeable.
“Having connections is vitally important," said Baross. "An interconnected series of bikeways is something that makes more people use it and makes them more useful.”
The cost of the whole project is $8.3 million dollars, which includes the freeway ramp improvements as well as the bike lanes. The expected completion time for the project is November 2025.