Roadway Links and Bridge Openings in Carmel Valley

by Councilman Scott Peters
August 2005

Roadway links and bridge openings – like Carmel Mountain Road and the North Torrey Pines Bridge – are crucial for reducing both commute and emergency response times within Carmel Valley and the surrounding area. Environmentally-sound transportation infrastructure is a priority for Carmel Valley and I wanted to give you an update on some current projects in the area.

A key link opened last year was the Carmel Mountain Road (Neighborhood 10) Bridge. This bridge not only connects residents in Carmel Valley and Torrey Hills, but it also reduces travel times for parents taking their kids to Sage Canyon Elementary and creates an important link in our wildlife preservation system as a wildlife crossing. You may have noticed the construction moving forward on the planned interchange designed for I-5 and Carmel Mountain Road. This interchange will eventually link residents to Interstate 5. As the interchange opens to the north in 2006 and to the south in 2007, you notice the traffic benefits of this connection. I continue to emphasize to CalTrans the importance of keeping this interchange project on schedule.

On July 22, many of you joined me in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly designed North Torrey Pines Bridge. While the old bridge was considered seismically inadequate and deemed by biologists to be "killing the lagoon" due to inadequate tidal flushing, the new bridge (with 70 fewer piers) will lead to a more natural tidal flushing allowing for a longer lasting and healthier tidal lagoon. Other benefits of the new bridge include new bike lanes on each side, improved views of the ocean, and new storm water controls to prevent car pollutants from entering the lagoon. I was proud to work together with the environmental community and local residents to find a solution that kept traffic moving and improved the health of the lagoon. Our coastline defines our quality of life in San Diego, and I am dedicated to protecting and preserving these coastal treasures.

In another step forward in traffic circulation mobility in Carmel Valley, we opened the Del Mar Heights Road Bridge on August 3rd. This bridge connects the newly developing Pacific Highlands Ranch to Carmel Valley and Del Mar and allows access to our two new high schools, Cathedral and Canyon Crest. Bikers from far and wide now will have another urban corridor to get all the way from Rancho Peñasquitos to the beaches of Del Mar. Combined with the Police Substation in Carmel Valley and the Firestation #47 in Pacific Highlands Ranch coming soon, the bridge will also help reduce emergency response times in the area.

The new Del Mar Heights Road Bridge spans and preserves a wildlife corridor planned by the community. The bridge allows for wildlife access to the interconnected network of open space in the area. The wildlife corridor created under the bridge will connect some 1,200 acres of preserved open space in the greater Carmel Valley Area. The bridge is a great example of environmentally sound infrastructure that protects the habitat that we all hold so dear in San Diego.

Ribbon cuttings and bridge openings are favorite parts of my job. I thank all of you in Carmel Valley who have been living with construction detours and traffic delays. But we’re getting these improvements built and I remain steadfast in my resolve to complete the SR-56 connections and other projects on the books needed to improve your quality of life in Carmel Valley.