As the City Council moves forward with plans to build a bridge over Rose Canyon, some members of the local planning group have a burning question they believes is worthy of stalling the project: Will the money be available when it comes time to build the Regents Road Bridge? The University Community Planning Group (UCPG) wants to see the city prioritize its list of infrastructure projects — including the planned Regents Road Bridge — that all draw from the same pot of money called the Facilities Benefit Assessment (FBA). “Since we don’t have enough money, wouldn’t it be better to focus our energies on what can be done?” asked UCPG board member Mark Young. The UCPG voted 11-4 at its March 9 meeting to recommend the city delay contracting consultants to begin work on the bridge until the city prioritizes funding for projects in the FBA. The City Council plans to vote on whether to contract two San Diego consultants, Helix Environmental Planning and Project Design Consultant, to begin an environmental study for the project. City Council has not yet docketed the item for a hearing. The FBA fund was created in the early 1980s when the City Council decided to shift the burden of paying for infrastructure improvements to developers in University City. Since then, each developer has paid a fee based on the level of traffic his or her project was expected to generate into the FBA pot. The Regents Road Bridge has been allocated $4.6 million in the FBA, but the city would use most of that if it decides to contract the two consultant groups for $4.2 million to study the environmental impacts and begin preliminary engineering work, according to Abi Palaseyed, a senior civil engineer for the city. The bridge project is expected to cost $37 million altogether, although the final cost estimate could change, according to Perri Storey, spokesperson for the city’s Engineering & Capital Projects. Most of the $168 million in the FBA has been committed to 18 infrastructure projects, from widening roads to building a library. Only $3.6 million is currently available for new projects, according to city documents. More money will eventually flow into the FBA since a few large projects are in the works in University City, but the recession has delayed some of those projects. From July 2009 thru January 2010, development in University City generated $123,000 for the FBA. George Lattimer is a UCPG board member who wants to see the city proceed with the preliminary work for Regents Road Bridge. Lattimer believes the environmental impact report (EIR) will provide more knowledge for the decision makers about whether or not to build the bridge. With the EIR in hand, the city will also be able to begin construction as soon as it deems necessary, Lattimer argues. “By spending money to do the more specific EIR, we’re not taking money from any other project,” Lattimer said. The city can’t sit on the EIR forever, however. The document expires within five years and costs money to update thereafter, according to UCPG officials. Resident Miriam Brown, who has been a staunch supporter of building the bridge, believes the group is just trying to stall construction of the controversial bridge. “The board has been a one-trick pony for years to delay the building of the bridge,” Brown said. Other FBA projects include constructing interchange ramps at La Jolla Village Drive and I-805; widening Genesee Avenue, La Jolla Village Drive, Eastgate Mall and Regents Road; and building new left-hand turn lanes on Genesee Avenue.