PROPOSED HAUL ROAD PROGRESSES
Reconfigured thoroughfare planned to move large cargo trucks more efficiently from Harbor Drive, reduce traffic
Three regional agencies will work together to reconfigure the southern, industrial portion of Harbor Drive as a smarter road that better accommodates trucks, passenger vehicles, bikes and pedestrians.
Last week, Port of San Diego commissioners approved a jointagency memorandum of understanding related to the conceptual road, known as Harbor Drive 2.0. The agreement solidifies the port’s relationship with state and county transportation agencies, Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments, although specifics around financing and environmental review are still to be determined.
The road, which is still being planned, is meant to move large cargo trucks more efficiently from port docks along San Diego Bay — Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and the National City Marine Terminal — to freeways, keeping traffic out of Barrio Logan in the process.
“What this does is create a center lane that is a designated truck lane,” said Job Nelson, who is the port’s chief policy strategist. “It’s a smart technology lane that gives signal prioritization to trucks. So imagine if you’re a trucker and you’re leaving the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal headed south, you’ll get in that center lane and get green lights all the way through to the freeway.”
The port estimates that the terminals generate between 1,400 and
1,500 truck trips per week, with usage expected to increase over the years. The segment of Harbor Drive encompassed in the project extends from the north entrance of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal to the National City Marine Terminal.
The initial concept also calls for an adjustable lane that will be used for just trucks, or for both cars and trucks, depending on the time of day and traffic patterns. In addition, the plan includes a sidewalk meant to encourage waterfront workers to take the trolley, as well as bike lanes extending the Bay Shore Bikeway.
“It’s an integrated roadway that is going to accommodate all of the various modes of traffic that have to go through there,” Nelson said.
The project is anticipated to cost between $21 million and $32 million, with funding potentially coming from transportation grants. The timeline is uncertain, although the overhauled road could be completed in one to two years.
Established in 1962, the San Diego Unified Port District includes 34 miles of waterfront along San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado. The agency is in the last leg of a multiyear planning effort to draft a new land-use framework for the tidelands it holds in public trust. Planners anticipate releasing a near-final version of the document, known as the port master plan update, for public review later this month.
“In the very beginning of the port master plan (update), we were looking at some visionary ideas of where we want the port to be in 50 years, and this haul road idea was one of them that stood out to all of the commissioners,” said Ann Moore, who chairs the agency’s board of seven appointed commissioners. “It (demonstrates how) planning takes a concept and turns it into a project that can have really significant impacts to a neighborhood in a very qualitative way.”
The Harbor Drive 2.0 concept arose after the port collaborated with several local and federal agencies, including Caltrans and SANDAG, on a study of the corridor. With the newly signed contract, the port’s partnership with Caltrans and SANDAG will continue, with the parties agreeing to collaboratively refine the concept, perform an environmental review and determine how to divvy up costs.