Emergency repair on Soledad Mountain Road in La Jolla got a $2.27 million boost Tuesday, June 24, from the San Diego City Council in a 7-0 vote by transferring funds from seven other pending road projects that include $245,000 taken from the Mission Beach Boardwalk Bulkhead project.
The bulkhead project is an ongoing program that replaces approximately 500 feet of boardwalk about every two years.
The funding transfer was needed now, said Patti Boekamp, the director of the city’s engineering and capital projects department, as “we don’t want to stop work while waiting for money.”
Boekamp told councilmembers the city is waiting for reimbursement from state and federal agencies to assist in repairs for the Oct. 3 landslide that resulted in the closure of the heavily traveled road. Four homes have been demolished and many others need repairs. In response to a question from Councilman Kevin Faulconer, Boekamp said the city would receive reimbursement within six to nine months.
The council paid $7.5 million to partially fund the emergency construction to restore and reopen the road on Dec. 18. The cost to repair damage to the roadways is estimated at approximately $26 million.
The city hopes to reopen Soledad Mountain Road by October, which is one year since the landslide occurred. City staff has described the landslide as “a sudden natural event” that occurred along the 5700 block of Soledad Mountain Road.
Money taken from various other projects includes $925,000 from improvements to Miramar Road; $380,000 in guardrails work around the city; $200,000 in traffic signals in the city; $245,000 from the bulkhead fund; $270,000 from work on the West Point Loma sidewalk project; $200,000 for a mitigation project on Mira Sorrento Place; and $50,000 from new developments.
Boekamp said the Miramar Road project funds were large because it involved a land purchase that was funded by the City Council, but not yet purchased. In some of the other projects, money was taken from construction, but not design of the project, Boekamp added.
Faulconer made the motion to transfer the funds to the emergency repair, which was seconded by Council President Scott Peters. Councilmember Anthony Young was absent. The council also again voted Tuesday to declare the area of the landslide as a continued state of emergency.
City staff has worked with CalTrans, the Federal Highway Administration and the California Department Office of Emergency Services in giving the agencies geotechnical data from fieldwork at the site.
“The work by CalTrans has helped the city immensely,” said Councilmember Jim Madaffer.
Boekamp said the Federal Highway Administration Agency informed the city on May 9 that it will receive federal funding. It is estimated that federal funds will cover 88.5 percent of eligible costs to repair Soledad Mountain Road. A state fund will pay approximately 75 percent of the remaining 11.5 percent not paid by the federal agency.