SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - One of the busiest intersections in San Diego County is closing for construction starting Friday night.
Crews will begin work along La Jolla Village Drive and Genesee Avenue at 9 p.m. in the University City area in support of Trolley bridge construction.
The ongoing construction of the Mid-Coast Trolley extension will require closures at La Jolla Village Drive and Genesee Avenue for a week.
Crews are installing pre-cast girders, which are large beams used to support the Trolley bridge. The girders will be placed on top of the columns to build the viaduct, which is the bridge structure that will carry the Trolley along its route. Crews have placed girders in five intersections along Genesee Avenue; this will be the sixth installation of girders in a series of seven intersections.
“At the end of day, this is going to be a tremendous project that is going to connect a long length of San Diego, so it will be--I think, a fantastic improvement for the area, providing transport in this area that is growing and densifying,” John Haggerty, Porter Director-Mid-Coast Trolley said.
Photos of ongoing construction of the Mid-Coast Trolley extension along Genesee Avenue, (Feb. 6, 2019).
The following partial closures will be in place beginning Friday, Feb. 8, at 9 p.m. and running through Friday, Feb. 15, at 5 a.m., at the intersection of Genesee Avenue and La Jolla Village Drive:
Weekend closure from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday:
- Closure of southbound Genesee Avenue lanes and through lanes at the La Jolla Village Drive intersection.
- One lane open on northbound Genesee Avenue.
Weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.:
- Through lanes at La Jolla Village Drive to be closed at Genesee Avenue.
- Right turns from La Jolla Village Drive to Genesee Avenue will be maintained.
- Two lanes open on northbound and southbound Genesee Avenue.
Weeknights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.:
- Closure of southbound Genesee Avenue lanes and through lanes at the La Jolla Village Drive intersection.
- One lane open on northbound Genesee Avenue.
All lanes will reopen the morning of Feb. 15, according to the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG.
Motorists should plan to take alternate routes to avoid traffic congestion, as delays are expected during these closures.
"We know this is an inconvenience and thank the community for their patience and perseverance while the trolley extension is under construction," said SANDAG Chairman and Poway Mayor Steve Vaus. "Once all the aerial work is done, the traffic patterns will get back to normal, and in a couple of years, people will be riding the Trolley."
According to SANDAG, La Jolla Village Drive at Genesee Avenue is the last intersection requiring a long-term closure to install the girders. More than 44,000 residents use the intersection during the week, the agency said.
The closures are part of the $2.17 billion Mid-Coast Trolley Blue Line Extension, which includes a planned 11-mile extension of trolley service by MTS from Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego to University City. The extension will add trolley stops in Mission Bay Park, UC San Diego and Westfield UTC.
SANDAG is receiving $1.04 billion in funding from the Federal Transit Administration to complete the project.
The extension and related projects are intended to reduce traffic congestion as the county's population increases. Construction on the extension began in 2016 and is scheduled to be fully completed in 2021.
For the latest information on closure updates, click here.