Draft plan includes four Ramona roads

By Joe Naiman

Four Ramona projects are included in the draft of the 2012 update to the Regional Transportation Improvement Plan approved by the San Diego Association of Governments Board on Friday.

The $12.3 billion plan includes $31.8 million for the San Vicente Road improvement project, $14 million for the Dye Road extension, $6.4 million for the Pamo Road Bridge project, and $4.5 million for the Ramona Street extension.

TransNet funding from the half-cent sales tax is being used for the San Vicente Road, Dye Road, and Ramona Street expenses while the Pamo Road bridge will be funded through the federal government’s Highway Bridge Program and from County of San Diego funding for road projects.

SANDAG’s 17-0 vote, with the representatives from El Cajon and Lemon Grove not present at the time of the voting, releases the draft RTIP for public review. In addition to a 30-day public comment period, a public hearing will be scheduled at the Sept. 7 SANDAG Transportation Committee meeting, and the full SANDAG board will review the final RTIP for adoption on Sept. 28.

SANDAG approved the previous update, which covered fiscal years 2011 through 2015, in September 2010. The 2012 update will cover fiscal years 2013 through 2017 and will include projects funded by federal, state, local, and private sources. The plan covers major highway, arterial, transit, rail, and non-motorized projects in San Diego County.

Phase I of the San Vicente Road project will widen the road and realign short horizontal curves from the street’s intersection with Warnock Drive to one mile south of that intersection while Phase II covers 5,000 feet south of Warnock Drive to Wildcat Canyon Road. Both phases will include intermittent turn lanes and bicycle lanes on each side.

The programmed funding covers $3.0 million for project engineering, $1.2 million for right-of-way, and $27.7 million for construction. The plan includes $3.3 million of previously-programmed funding, $829,000 of 2012-13 funds, $12.9 million of 2013-14 expenditures, and $14.8 million of 2014-15 costs. The reconstructed road is expected to be ready by August 2015.

The Dye Road extension will construct a two-lane road between Ramona Street and San Vicente Road. The programmed funding covers $1.4 million for engineering, $1.2 million for right-of-way, and $11.4 million for construction. Prior-year programmed funding accounts for $1.4 million while $5,000 is programmed for 2012-13.

The programmed funding also includes $74,000 during 2013-14, $1.1 million in 2014-15, $4.4 million for 2015-16, and $7.1 million during 2016-17. The new road is expected to open to traffic in December 2017.

The Pamo Road Bridge replacement over Santa Ysabel Creek between Pamo Road and Haverford Road will replace the existing one-lane bridge with a two-lane bridge that meets current standards. The programmed cost includes $1.4 million for engineering, $125,000 for right-of-way, and $4.9 million for construction. Previous funding accounts for $1.4 million of the programmed funding while $300,000 is anticipated to be spent in 2014-15 and $4.7 million is programmed for 2016-17. The right-of-way phase is expected to occur during Fiscal Year 2015, and construction is anticipated for Fiscal Year 2017.

The Ramona Street extension will pave a connection between Warnock Drive and Boundary Avenue and will have two travel lanes, turn lanes, bicycle lanes, and pathways. The $923,000 for engineering, $304,000 for right-of-way, and $3.3 million for construction corresponds to $977,000 of prior-year programmed funds, $250,000 during 2012-13, $2.2 million in 2013-14, and $1.1 million for 2014-15. The connection is expected to be open for public traffic in June 2015.

To review and comment on the plan, see sandag.org/2012rtip.