SANDAG Breaks Ground on Orange Avenue and Central Avenue Complete Streets Projects

Improvements include safer crosswalks, separated bike lanes, and pothole repairs

SANDAG Vice Chair and San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava was joined by City of San Diego District 9 Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, local officials, and community advocates on Thursday morning at Teralta Park in City Heights to celebrate the groundbreaking of two transportation improvement projects for the San Diego region: the Orange Avenue and Central Avenue Complete Streets projects.
 
“SANDAG is delivering projects that benefit San Diego residents above and below ground,” said Vice Chair LaCava. “These are just some of many complete streets projects across the county that improve road safety, expand mobility, upgrade storm drains, replace aging pipes, and make other improvements to make our communities stronger and safer.”

Complete streets projects often include pothole and pavement repairs, enhanced sidewalks, raised crosswalks, buffered and separated bike lanes, and other traffic calming measures.

“For too long, communities like City Heights have had to fight for the safe, reliable infrastructure every neighborhood deserves,” said Councilmember Elo-Rivera. “Breaking ground on the Orange Avenue and Central Avenue Complete Streets projects means turning that commitment into real improvements that will make it safer and easier for people to walk, bike, drive, take transit, and connect to schools, parks, businesses, and one another. Investments like these bring us closer to a San Diego that truly works for San Diegans.”

SANDAG has seven complete streets projects underway across the region, including the Orange Avenue and Central Avenue Complete Streets projects, totaling more than 21 miles of connected network under construction.

Once complete, the two projects will add more than three miles to a larger network of bikeways that connect the City of La Mesa to the communities of City Heights, Kensington, Normal Heights, and North Park in the City of San Diego. 

“These projects continue regional connectivity efforts that we are seeing with other projects in our region,” said Caltrans District 11 Deputy Director Caridad Sanchez. “These projects will give people the option to walk or ride whether it’s to work, school, or just to have fun.” 

The 2.1-mile Orange Avenue Complete Streets project will run along Orange Avenue between 32nd Street and Estrella Avenue. The project will feature buffered bike lanes, median islands and diverters, a traffic circle, curb extensions, and other traffic calming measures. The Orange Avenue Complete Streets project is anticipated to open to the public in two years. 

The Central Avenue Complete Streets project will include a new section of separated bikeway, a new cul-de-sac, curb extensions, enhanced crosswalks, traffic signal modifications, and signs. The project is a mile-long corridor of improvements along Adams Avenue in Kensington and continues south along Terrace Drive and Central Avenue to Landis Street. The Central Avenue Complete Streets project is expected to open to the public in about one year.

During project development, SANDAG engaged with local businesses, residents, schools, and community groups to solicit feedback, which was incorporated into the project during the planning, environmental, and design phases.

“Today marks an exciting step forward for City Heights,” said President and CEO of City Heights CDC Alexis Villanueva. “We're grateful to SANDAG and the City of San Diego for investing in the kind of infrastructure that lets our neighbors walk, bike, and move through their own community safely.”

The $14.5 million Orange Avenue and $7.2 million Central Avenue Complete Streets projects are funded by a combination of federal, state, and local funds. Local funds include TransNet, the regional half-cent sales tax for transportation administered by SANDAG. 
 
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For more information, visit SANDAG Bikeway & Walkways Projects.