San Diego leaders and lawmakers who are trying to make it easier to get into, out of and around Lindbergh Field in Point Loma are hitting a few bumps in the road.
As strategic plans for the so-called “ultimate build-out” of the San Diego International Airport begin to take off, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and other transit agencies are working overtime to come up with a mass transit plan that could help ease local and regional transportation needs ” possibly even finding a way to integrate Point Loma into grander statewide transit plans.
A proposed $9.95 billion bond measure for a California high-speed train system could have positive impacts on Point Loma’s airport-area traffic, according to Lemon Grove Mayor Mary Teresa Sessom.
Sessom also chairs SANDAG’s board of directors and is a member of the airport’s Ad Hoc Regional Policy Committee that is currently meeting on a regular basis to hammer out plans for the future build-out of the San Diego International Airport.
The committee is scheduled to meet again Saturday, Aug. 2, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Marriott San Diego Hotel and Marina, 333 W. Harbor Drive, Marriott Hall 3 in Downtown.
Sessom, Mayor Jerry Sanders and other community leaders talked about how the train could connect to the airport during an Ad Hoc Regional Policy Committee meeting on July 17. The meeting was a primer for this Saturday’s workshop.
Sessom said a high-speed rail currently making its way through the California legislature could ease some vehicle traffic in Point Loma because its intent is to take commuters off the road.
“It’s not a perfect solution for Point Loma by any means, but understanding that the [airport] expansion is going to happen, I think [residents] would be looking a little more seriously at what [high-speed rail] might do in a positive way for them,” Sessom said.
The county, she said, is “prime” for a proposed statewide high-speed rail system that would be part of a long-term transportation plan for the San Diego International Airport. If approved by California voters in November, the train could eventually connect major cities from the Bay Area to San Diego County, nearly cutting commuter travel time between the two regions in half, according to California High Speed Rail Authority documents.
According to documents published by the High-Speed Rail Authority ” pending voter approval of the bond ” construction of the 700- to 800-mile train system could begin by 2011.
The possibility of the high-speed rail coming into San Diego and terminating at the Santa Fe Depot in Downtown has SANDAG courting the idea of how it could fit into future long-term transportation plans for San Diego County, the region and the rest of the state, said Gary Gallegos, SANDAG’s executive director.
“That has sparked our interest to try and tie it into the multi-modal center that’s part of the overall Lindbergh Field Master Plan study,” Gallegos said.
But a recent change to the language in the proposed high-speed rail bill could prevent San Diego from competing for initial bond money to start planning and building the rail system right away. This has caused SANDAG to take a stand against the bill as currently written to allow San Diego to compete for the initial bond funding if the measure is approved.
Gallegos said it would be hard to inspire San Diego voters to approve a bond that would not directly benefit them.
The airport’s Ad Hoc Regional Policy Committee also heard a presentation on the California Independent Voter Project Plan (CAIVP) on July 17.
Pushed by former California Sen. Steve Peace and backed by Sanders, the plan would move several developments to the north side of Lindbergh Field. The plan includes an intermodal transportation center that would sit just off the Interstate 5 off Pacific Highway ramps, according to CAIVP documents.
The follow-up workshop meeting this Saturday would include an in-depth discussion as community leaders hammer out future plans for Lindbergh Field.
The ad hoc committee, under pressure from Point Loma residents to ease traffic and environmental impacts of a future airport build-out, is working to maximize Lindbergh Field efficiently, given the airport’s single runway and its inherent physical and geological constraints.
The San Diego Regional Airport Authority Ad Hoc Regional Policy committee has until February to come up with a strategic plan for the airport that adequately addresses the environmental impact concerns published in the Airport Authority’s environmental impact report issued earlier this year.
The document outlines environmental concerns over the airport’s build-out in ensuring adherence to the California Environmental Quality Act legislation.
It could be a race against time for the community’s leadership.
“If we’re successful, we’ll have a plan,” Gallegos said. “If we’re unsuccessful, we’ll end up in court.”
For more information on the high-speed rail proposal, visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov.