The Torrey Pines Bridge Project

by Councilman Scott Peters
for the La Jolla Village News
July 2002

On July 9th the California Coastal Commission voted 8 to 1 to approve a coastal development permit for the reconstruction of the Torrey Pines Bridge on Coast Highway. Since there's been controversy about the project, I'd like to explain the reasons I feel that we should move forward.

The City began work on the project in the early 1990s. The City Council approved the proposed design in 1999, and sent the project forward for state approval. When I took office in late 2000, I wondered why a three-lane configuration was necessary and whether a two lane alternative could be developed. In the past year and a half, I've held a number of meetings with all interested parties. The main obstacle is that traffic can move across a three-land bridge during construction, but not across a two-lane bridge. We looked at building temporary bridge structures on either side of the existing bridge to keep traffic flowing during construction, but found that this would worsen the condition of the lagoon and cost an additional $4 million to implement. We also looked at closing one or both lanes of traffic on Coast Highway, intermittently regulating traffic flow throughout the day using only one lane, or restricting flow to one direction during AM and PM peak hours. The one-lane scenarios added an additional $3.4 million cost to the project due to the need for 24-hour flagmen and temporary traffic signals, and were also deemed unsafe. In fact the City was unable to find a traffic engineering firm that would sign-off on such a traffic plan, because the liability for traffic accidents and risk to construction workers was too high.

After this very thorough process, it is clear to me that the current design is our best option. It will not harm the viewshed, will not increase traffic, is fiscally responsible and offers the best opportunity to save the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon.

I have taken several factors into consideration. First, the existing bridge is in danger because it is seismically unsound, scoring 19 out of 100 on the CalTrans structural integrity scale. There is no disagreement that the bridge needs to be replaced, and the prospect that even a small earthquake might bring down the bridge means that we can no longer delay action on the project.

Second, the 72 pilings that support the existing bridge clog the mouth of the lagoon, and inhibit tidal flushing, which is essential to a healthy lagoon environment. Replacing the bridge will reduce the number of pilings from 72 to 4 and allow for natural flushing. Biologists with the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Foundation, the non-profit group dedicated to the preservation of the lagoon, warned that the lagoon was dying and prolonged delays in replacing the bridge could cause irreparable harm to the lagoon environment. The Sierra Club, the Audubon Society and the Lagoon Foundation all support the current project, because it replaces the bridge in a timely manner, and saves the lagoon from further decline.

Third, the $3.4 million to change the configuration of the bridge from the approved three lane to a two lane bridge is not available. I asked for this money in this year's city budget process, but it is not there. Clearly, it's not in the state budget. In fact, any further delay in the project would put at risk the $8 million federal contribution to the bridge we have already secured.

Fourth, the traffic delays associated with constricting a two lane bridge are staggering, and would seriously harm the quality of life in local neighborhoods and for north county commuters during the 18-month to 2-year construction period. Complete or partial closure of Highway 101 would divert up to 20,000 cars a day through single-family neighborhoods, cause 40 minute traffic delays in each direction, hamper emergency vehicles from entering the area, and add thousands of vehicles to the already congested I-5 / I-805 merge. It would also mean closing down a major North / South traffic artery at the same time that CalTrans is implementing a major expansion of the I-5 / I-805 merge.

Finally, a main concern of the Torrey Pines community was that because the City of Del Mar is unlikely to widen its bridge to the North, we would be creating a bottleneck by funneling three lanes of traffic into two. I recognized this problem and asked that the bridge be striped for two lanes so there would be no additional traffic on Coast Highway. This was also the strategy provided for in the adopted community plan. The Coastal Commission agreed and added this as a condition of approval.

In the end, the choice is between a fully funded, lagoon-friendly, seismically safe, view-neutral, traffic-neutral, three-lane bridge on one hand, and, on the other hand, hope for an unfunded and undesigned two-lane bridge that would cost at least $3.4 million more. Because I inherited this project from the previous City Council, I needed to work with the project in the environment in which I inherited it. The risks to the lagoon and the added project costs are too great to delay this project further.

If you would like more information about this project, and would like to see pictures of the proposed bridge, please visit my web site in the City Hall section of www.sandiego.gov.