STUDY: THUMBS-UP ON TROLLEY, AIRPORT LINK
A Metropolitan Transit System study released Thursday has determined that the long-desired trolley extension to the San Diego International Airport is possible and can be completed within the next decade.
According to a press release issued by the Metropolitan Transit System, or MTS, transportation experts from the international consultancy company Mott MacDonald presented multiple construction options to the MTS board of directors as part of its preliminary feasibility study.
San Diego County Supervisor and MTS board chair Nathan Fletcher said the trolley would boost tourism and create jobs, while offering additional transportation options to key areas in San Diego.
“San Diegans have always wanted a Trolley connection to the airport and now is the time to move forward,” Fletcher said in a press statement. “We have an opportunity to invest in good jobs and build a world-class rail connection to our airport that will greatly benefit not only visitors to San Diego but hard-working San Diegans who currently have no rail connection to the airport.”
The Mott MacDonald study analyzed three different options for construction, an elevated guideway off Laurel Street, and two underground options at Hawthorne Street.
According to the press release, MTS board members favor the underground options, as they are the least expensive, would avoid airspace restrictions and have the lowest impact on nearby private properties.
“The feasibility study findings demonstrate a trolley to the airport is possible and while we have a ways to go in planning, stakeholder engagement and execution, there is a unique opportunity to further our reputation as a world-class region by offering the fastest rail connection in the United States between an airport and convention center,” Fletcher said. “Just like the recent Trolley extension to UC San Diego, the VA Medical Center, and UTC, this would be yet another game-changer for San Diego.”
According to the study, the MTS alignment also proposes a station at each airport terminal running parallel with Harbor Drive.
The trolley extension to San Diego’s airport would, among other things, allow further expansions west to areas such as Point Loma, Liberty Station and beach communities. It will offer the fastest connection between a convention center and an airport in the country.
San Diego International Airport has set aside more than $500 million for transportation improvements, including transit to the airport, the press statement said.
The MTS board authorized staff to pursue federal and state grants for the project, focusing on the underground options that connect to the existing rail alignment near Hawthorn Street, and to continue community outreach efforts.
It also directed staff to continue its outreach to stakeholders, including the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the Port of San Diego, Solar Turbines, and the general public.