IMPERIAL VALLEY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS S AN D IEGO-IMPERIAL C OUNTY I-8 C ORRIDOR STRATEGIC PLAN Prepared for: IMPERIAL VALLEY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS 940 MAIN STREET, SUITE 208 EL CENTRO, CA, 92243 Prepared by: 21171 S. WESTERN AVENUE, SUITE 200 TORRANCE, CA 90501 FEBRUARY 2009 I MPERIAL V ALLEY A SSOCIATION OF G OVERNMENTS S AN D IEGO-IMPERIAL C OUNTY I-8 C ORRIDOR STRATEGIC PLAN Prepared for: IMPERIAL VALLEY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS 940 MAIN STREET, SUITE 208 EL CENTRO, CA, 92243 Prepared by: PMC 21171 S. WESTERN AVENUE, SUITE 200 TORRANCE, CA 90501 FEBRUARY 2009 San Diego-Imperial County I-8 Corridor Strategic Plan Joint Policy Advisory Group Dave Allen, SANDAG Borders Committee Member / City of La Mesa Councilmember Victor Carrillo, IVAG Regional Councilmember / Imperial County Supervisor James Hill, La Posta Band of Mission Indians Councilman Colleen Ludwig, IVAG Regional Councilmember / Councilmember City of Holtville Patricia McCoy, SANDAG Borders Committee Chair / City of Imperial Beach Councilmember John W. Minto, SANDAG Borders Committee Member/City of Santee Councilmember Sedalia Sanders, IVAG Regional Councilmember / City of El Centro Councilmember San Diego-Imperial County I-8 Corridor Strategic Plan Joint Technical Advisory Group Eusebio Arballo, Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation Tuari Bigknife, Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians Abraham Campos, El Centro, Leonard Fabian, Imperial County Everett Hauser, County of San Diego Lisa C. Haws, Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians Tribal Government Jim Minnick, Imperial County Don Parent, Sempra Energy Allen Tyler, Imperial Valley Joint Chambers of Commerce San Diego-Imperial County I-8 Corridor Strategic Plan Agency Staff Project Managers Maurice Eaton, California Department of Transportation District 11 Beth Landrum, California Department of Transportation District 11 Rosa C. López-Solís, Imperial Valley Association of Governments Ron Sáenz, San Diego Association of Governments Dennis Thompson, California Department of Transportation District 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary......................................................................................................................................vii I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 II. Goals and Objectives............................................................................................................... 5 III. Existing Conditions ..................................................................................................................... 7 A. Interregional Transportation................................................................................................... 7 1. Transportation System ............................................................................................... 7 2. Current Conditions................................................................................................... 13 3. Profile of I-8 Corridor Travelers................................................................................ 22 B. Population, Housing, and Employment ............................................................................. 31 1. Population................................................................................................................. 35 2. Housing ...................................................................................................................... 40 3. Employment.............................................................................................................. 44 C. Land Use and Environmental Resources ........................................................................... 47 1. Land Uses Adjacent to the I-8 Corridor ................................................................ 47 2. Noteworthy Land Uses............................................................................................. 53 3. Environmental Resources Adjacent to the I-8 Corridor ..................................... 57 D. Looking Ahead ...................................................................................................................... 58 1. Projected Growth .................................................................................................... 58 2. Planned Improvements........................................................................................... 60 3. Projected Levels of Service .................................................................................... 61 4. Other Considerations .............................................................................................. 61 IV. Interregional Public Survey.....................................................................................................69 A. Overview................................................................................................................................. 69 B. Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 69 C. Findings: Residential Survey ................................................................................................. 70 1. Profile of Residents Surveyed.................................................................................. 71 Imperial Valley Association of Governments San Diego-Imperial County I-8 Corridor February 2009 Strategic Plan i TABLE OF CONTENTS 2. Quality of Life in Imperial County .......................................................................... 73 3. Current Commute Patterns .................................................................................... 81 4. Future Commute Patterns ...................................................................................... 83 5. Super Commuters .................................................................................................... 84 6. Non-Work Travel ....................................................................................................... 84 D. Findings: I-8 Traveler Survey.................................................................................................. 86 1. Overview of I-8 Travel .............................................................................................. 86 2. Profile of the I-8 Traveler.......................................................................................... 90 3. Current Commute Patterns .................................................................................... 91 4. Future Commute Patterns ...................................................................................... 93 5. Super Commuters .................................................................................................... 93 E. Interregional Public Survey Conclusions ............................................................................ 95 V. Key Findings and Recommendations .................................................................................. 97 A. Key Findings............................................................................................................................ 97 B. Early Actions and Interregional Strategies ........................................................................ 97 C. Future Study Needs ............................................................................................................. 101 VI. References.............................................................................................................................. 103 VII. Appendices............................................................................................................................ 105 A. APPENDIX A: Residential Survey Instrument with Frequencies ..................................... 105 B. APPENDIX B: I-8 Traveler Survey Instrument with Frequencies ...................................... 121 C. APPENDIX C: Joint Technical Advisory Group Agenda Packet Recipients ............... 145 D. APPENDIX D: Comments Received and Responses on Draft Strategic Plan............. 146 E. APPENDIX E: Joint Technical Advisory Group, Joint Policy Advisory Group, and Public Meeting Summaries........................................................................................................ 146 San Diego-Imperial County I-8 Corridor Imperial Valley Association of Governments Strategic Plan February 2009 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS FIGURES Figure 1 Study Area .................................................................................................................................. 3 Figure 2 International Truck Flows for Southern California Border Crossings (1998)...................... 12 Figure 3 Existing Rail Service (2008)...................................................................................................... 13 Figure 4 Interstate 8 Average Daily Traffic (2007).............................................................................. 15 Figure 5 Interstate 8 Average Daily Truck Traffic (2006).................................................................... 19 Figure 6 Level of Service Definitions..................................................................................................... 21 Figure 7 Existing Level of Service (2007) .............................................................................................. 23 Figure 8 San Diego County Workers: Commute from San Diego County / Commute to San Diego