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<\/a>The SR 94 Express Lanes Project proposes to connect I-805 South Express Lanes with Downtown San Diego by constructing two new Express Lanes along SR 94, one in each direction, and a new direct connector between SR 94 and I-805.<\/p>\n
The Express Lanes would accommodate new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, in addition to carpools\/vanpools traveling between South Bay and Downtown connecting to a wider network of Express Lanes on I-805, and at a future date on State Route 15.<\/p>\n
Golden Hill homeowner Valentina Pasquetto, a spokesperson for a group of residents opposing the SR 94 Express Lane Project, said the group\u2019s recent petition drive garnered 220 signatures from local residents against the project in just two weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expect growing support in the next few months\u00a0once\u00a0the [project\u2019s] draft EIR\u00a0is\u00a0released,\u201d Pasquetto said. \u201cOur\u00a0hope is that other residents and influential groups will support us by signing the petition and actively engaging our city, state and federal elected officials\u00a0to\u00a0oppose\u00a0the project.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis proposed project includes the construction of\u00a0an up to\u00a02-mile- long overpass and the closure of off-ramps and on-ramps vital to maintaining access to our neighborhoods,\u201d Pasquetto said. \u201cIt has always been put to us by SANDAG that there are two options for this project. There is always a third \u2014 no build at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Edward Cartagena, Caltrans media information officer, countered that the freeway expansion project is something the city cannot live without if it wants to avoid traffic gridlock.<\/p>\n \u201cState Route 94 was built in the late 1950s and the operational demands have been steadily increasing to more than 149,000 vehicles a day \u2014 the most congested highway during the morning commute in the county,\u201d Cartagena said.<\/p>\n \u201cMotorists from East County, the South Bay and North County flow towards State Route 94 to the downtown employment centers, tourist attractions and sporting events,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n SANDAG studies estimate nearly 1 million more people will reside in San Diego County by 2030. \u201cOperational improvements are needed,\u201d Cartagena said.<\/p>\n Pasquetto said the project will bring disproportionate negative impacts to affected communities without providing any direct benefits by\u00a0\u201cfurther dividing the community and bringing more noise and pollution, while providing no access to the managed lanes for bicycle or other pedestrian modes of transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt does not encourage people to leave their cars at home as the people riding the BRT are the same people that are already using public transport now,\u201d Pasquetto said, noting that her group\u2019s ultimate objective \u201cis to get Caltrans and SANDAG to rethink the entire plan around the SR 94.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe request them to reallocate TransNet funding away from the freeway expansion and towards alternative transit options (light-rail, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>Pasquetto said the petition drive\u2019s aim is to heighten awareness that Caltrans and SANDAG intend to add two lanes to the SR 94 freeway through San Diego neighborhoods from I-805 to I-5 to accommodate the BRT system, High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and fast-track vehicles.<\/p>\n