SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced $24 million for the City of San Diego’s Bridge Rehab, Safety, and Mobility Project at Palm Avenue / Interstate 805. The Project was awarded funding under the United States Department of Transportation Bridge Investment Program.
“I want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration, Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt for this investment in our City,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant will help us upgrade this aging, 50-year-old bridge, improving traffic flow and making it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike.”
According to a press release, "the Bridge Investment Program is a competitive, discretionary grant program that focuses on existing bridges to reduce the overall number of bridges in poor condition or in fair condition but at risk of falling into poor condition."
U.S Rep. Juan Vargas said, “These $24 million in federal funds will help revitalize and improve the Palm Avenue / I-805 Bridge and will also fund other much-needed mobility projects in the surrounding area.”
City leaders say the $24 million investment will help the City deliver a "high-quality bridge rehabilitation and preservation project that enhances safety, improves the quality of life for a historically disadvantaged community, increases sustainability and resiliency benefits and creates additional mobility options for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists in a growing area of San Diego."
Specifically, the grant funding will:
- Reconfigure the existing bridge overcrossing structure to provide additional left turn storage capacity
- Retrofit the bridge approach slabs and main bent support and perform deck rehabilitation
- Install 6-foot sidewalks and Class IV separated bikeways to support all modes of travel
- Replace obsolete bridge barriers and reconstruct the failing slope paving at the bridge abutments
- Realign the I-805 freeway on- and off-ramps
- Install bus stop sidewalk landings and concrete pads for future bus stops
During Thursday's event, it was said that Caltrans District 11 has worked in partnership with the City of San Diego on this project for the past 20 years and has helped provide oversight on the design of the new bridgework. Caltrans staff will advertise, award and administer the contract to complete the work.
“Our mission at Caltrans is to ensure that we are serving and meeting the community’s transportation needs via a safe and multi-modal state system,” Caltrans District 11 Director Gustavo Dallarda said. “This bridge project, once complete, will allow people and goods to have more options to get where they need to go, and how they want to get there. The grant ensures that a bridge from the past continues to serve the users of today and future generations and maintains the integrity of our infrastructure needs. Our partnership with the City shows that our holistic regional approach brings federal dollars that can be streamlined in an equitable manner to all communities we collectively serve.”
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