Main Street project in El Cajon is moving along

Main Street in El Cajon is scheduled to get some freshening up next year with roadway and landscape improvements in an area where the city expects more growth, including residential and retail spots. The City Council last month gave the go-ahead to a project called“Main Street Green Street .” It is intended to make the area near the El Cajon Transit Center green er, more accessible and safer for bike riders and pedestrian sand encourage public transit use. Tony Mendoza, associate engineer for El Ca jon, said that while there is not a large amount of cyclists frequenting the area currently, the thought is that if the city makes areas safer and more accommodating, it will encourage more activity. The project is one of the first steps in the city’ s Transit District Specific Plan, adopted by the City Council in 2018. The plan laid out a blueprint for redeveloping about 260 acres surrounding the El Ca jon Transit Center at 352 S. Marshall Ave. The city en visions the transformation of the area around the transit center into a neighborhood with a range of housing options, commercial services, employment opportunities and facilities—all connected to local and regional transportation, with streets designed to provide safe and attractive connections to the transit station, and beyond. The city received $2.5 million for the project from San Diego Association of Governments to use toward the upgrades. The project was also awarded an additional $250,000 grant from the San Diego River Conservancy to use drought tolerant landscaping and other storm water components for the project. City staff said TransNet is providing some matching funds to the other money. The project is currently halfway through the design phase for the area along Main Street f rom Marshall Avenue to Johnson Avenue. Plans are expected to be solidified in March 2021, with construction slated to beg in June 2021 and end December 2022.