Chapter 6 Systems Development: Offering More Travel Choices Chapter Contents Developing the 2050 RTP Network ................ 6-2 Focus on Regional Priorities ........................... 6-3 A Regional Transit Strategy ............................ 6-6 2050 Regional Transit Network ...................... 6-7 Coastal Rail Improvement Program .............. 6-19 High-Speed Rail Services .............................. 6-21 A Flexible Roadway System .......................... 6-22 Public Safety ................................................ 6-40 2050 Goods Movement Strategy ................. 6-42 Aviation and Ground Access ........................ 6-46 Active Transportation .................................. 6-51 Riding to 2050: The San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan ................................... 6-53 Safe Routes to School Strategy .................... 6-54 California Coastal Trail ................................. 6-55 Planning Across Borders .............................. 6-64 2050 Regional Transportation Plan This chapter of the 2050 Regional SANDAG is required to address congestion Transportation Plan (RTP or the Plan) describes management through a process involving an the Plan’s priorities for regional transportation analysis of multimodal regionwide strategies infrastructure and service improvements. It that are cooperatively developed to foster includes sections on transit, intercity and high- safety and integrated management of new speed rail, Managed Lanes/highways and and existing transportation facilities eligible arterials, goods movement and intermodal for federal funding. The congestion facilities, aviation, regional bikeways, and management process is described in more The recommendations interregional and binational border planning detail in Technical Appendix 20. from past and current and coordination. regional and corridor- Unconstrained Transportation The existing regional network consists of specific transportation Network 610 miles of highways (including 20 miles of The development of the 2050 RTP started by studies are integral to high occupancy toll lanes), 123 miles of projecting the region’s needs for transit, the development regional transit service, and more than highway, arterial, goods movement, and 1,000 miles of regional arterials. When of the Plan. active transportation improvements to meet implemented, the regional improvements in the travel demands of the region’s expected the 2050 RTP will capitalize on the existing population in 2050. Labeled the transit and highway infrastructure and Unconstrained Network, this network develop a new, improved network of high- represents a transportation vision that meets quality transit services and a system of the region’s needs, assuming there are no connected and free-flowing Managed Lanes, revenue constraints. while still maintaining regional arterials and local roads. We use priorities to identify how much of the Unconstrained Network we can build, Developing the operate, and maintain given the availability of 2050 RTP Network revenue and flexibility over the life of the Plan. The 2050 RTP is developed around five The 2050 RTP builds upon the existing primary components: a Sustainable transportation system and the major project Communities Strategy, Social Equity and commitments planned or under construction, Environmental Justice, Systems Development, and it makes substantial progress in moving Systems Management, and Demand toward the ultimate network needs of the Management. Each component has a unique region through 2050. yet interdependent role in creating a The recommendations from past and current sustainable transportation system that regional and corridor-specific transportation improves mobility, reduces greenhouse gases, studies are integral to the development of the and increases travel choices for everyone in Plan (see Appendix E for a list of the studies the San Diego region through 2050. and links to the documents). Since the 2030 Our region has consistently supported a RTP, SANDAG completed a number of studies multimodal approach to transportation that including the Urban Area Transit Strategy, looks at the overall system and improvements Interstate 5 (I-5) South Corridor Study, that benefit all modes, rather than prioritizing Comprehensive Freight Gateway Study, one over the other. This approach gives all of Destination Lindbergh, and San Diego the transportation system users choices Regional Bicycle Plan. The recommendations traveling within and through the region. 6-2 Chapter 6: Systems Development: Offering More Travel Choices from these studies have been considered in Focus on Regional Priorities the Plan’s development. Funding for transportation is limited, and for Revenue Constrained Network several decades it has not kept up with the public’s appetite for travel and demand for The Plan’s Revenue Constrained Network transportation services. The 2050 RTP described in this chapter, combined with the recognizes this fact, and it calls for pursuing Sustainable Communities Strategy, Systems additional funding while focusing investments Management Strategy, and Demand on priority corridors and projects. These Management Strategy described in other priorities are derived from two sources. In chapters, intend to provide the best balance 2005, after voters approved extending the and benefits across all of the RTP goals – TransNet sales tax, the region established the System Preservation & Safety, Mobility, Early Action Program to advance revenues Reliability, Social Equity, a Prosperous and expedite high-priority improvements Economy, and a Healthy Environment. included in the sales tax measure. In addition Short- and Long-Range Strategies to the commitment to these TransNet projects, shown in Table 6.1, SANDAG and Actions prioritized all of the planned transportation The 2050 RTP includes both short-term and projects using adopted criteria for evaluating long-term strategies that lead to the them. The priorities act as a guide for development of an integrated multimodal selecting the multimodal facilities and services transportation system to facilitate the safe essential to meeting the mobility and and efficient movement of people and goods. accessibility goals of the region. While the 2050 RTP serves as the long-range vision for the region, there are many plans Regional facilities and services connect to and programs that implement the RTP in the larger transportation systems beyond the short-term. The Regional Transportation San Diego region’s boundaries (freeways and Improvement Program (RTIP) is a prioritized rail networks in other parts of the state and five-year program required by federal and nation), as well as to local systems of streets, state laws and designed to implement the roads, and transit services in our communities. region’s overall strategy for providing mobility Freight also is moved on the regional and improving the efficiency and safety of the transportation network, and it requires good transportation system, while reducing access and connectivity to local logistics transportation-related air pollution in support centers and terminals to ensure the efficient of efforts to attain air quality standards for movement of goods onto and off the the region. The 2010 RTIP may be found at network. www.sandag.org/2010RTIP. The RTIP incrementally implements the RTP in San Diego region. Additionally, the Coordinated Plan provides a five-year blueprint for the implementation of public transit and social service transportation concepts described in the 2050 RTP. SANDAG 2050 Regional Transportation Plan 6-3 Table 6.1 – TransNet Early Action Program Project Descriptions Early Action Project Description Blue and Orange Line Trolley Track and station rehabilitation, including purchase of low-floor vehicles Improvements I-5 North Coast Complete environmental document for I-5 widening between La Jolla Village Drive and Vandegrift Boulevard I-15 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Modify Escondido transit center, construct transit centers at Del Lago, Rancho Stations (SR 163 to SR 78) Bernardo, Sabre Springs, and Mira Mesa SR 15 BRT Stations & Service Construct transit centers at University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard, Sabre Springs station parking structure, and downtown BRT stations, operate BRT service between Escondido and downtown San Diego I-15 North Construct four Managed Lanes with fixed median barrier, add auxiliary lanes (Centre City Pkwy to SR 78) I-15 Middle Construct four Managed Lanes with fixed median barrier, add auxiliary lanes (SR 56 to Centre City Pkwy) (completed) I-15 South Construct four Managed Lanes with movable median barrier, add auxiliary (SR 163 to SR 56) lanes; construct Mira Mesa Direct Access Ramp I-805 North Complete environmental document for I-805 Managed Lanes (SR 52 to I-5) I-805 Middle Complete environmental document for I-805 Managed Lanes (SR 94 to SR 52) I-805 South Complete environmental document for I-805 Managed Lanes (SR 905 to SR 94) LOSSAN Coastal rail double tracking and increased and expanded passenger rail service Mid-City Rapid Bus Construct and operate Rapid Bus service between San Diego State University (SDSU) and downtown San Diego along El Cajon and Park Boulevards Mid-Coast Trolley Construct and operate light rail transit (LRT) service between Old Town transit center, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and University Towne Centre (UTC) South Bay BRT Construct and operate BRT service between Otay Mesa and downtown San Diego via Otay Ranch/Millenia and eastern Chula Vista