Regional agency OKs money for four road projects

By Joe Naiman

San Diego Association of Governments’ approval of the 2012 Regional Transportation Improvement Plan includes four Ramona projects.

The regional agency’s 17-0 vote on Sept. 28 approves the new plan that will cover fiscal years 2013 through 2017 and will include approximately $12.3 billion of projects funded by federal, state, local, and private sources. Of that, $56.1 mill is for Ramona roads: $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 $3.9 million for the Ramona Street extension.

TransNet 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 paid for with federal Highway Bridge Program money and county road money.

The agency approved the plan’s draft update on July 27, and its Transportation Subcommittee held a public hearing on Sept. 7. During the public review period Jerry Myers of Citizens for a Rural Ramona expressed a desire to postpone funding for the Ramona Street extension, and during the Sept. 7 hearing Donna Myers and Ken Brennecke spoke in opposition to the Ramona Street extension while Ramona Community Planning Group Chair Jim Piva spoke in favor of the extension.

“I’m just glad that SANDAG sees it as we see it,” Piva said at the Sept. 28 meeting. “We can all move forward with the county.”

The county’s Department of Public Works expects to bring the final draft of the design to the planning group January.

“I think there’s a commitment from the planning group and the community of Ramona to see this through to the end,” Piva said.

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.

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 will cover 5,000 feet south of Warnock Drive to Wildcat Canyon Road. Both phases will include intermittent turn lanes and bicycle lanes on each side. Funding covers $3 million for project engineering, $1.2 million for right-of-way, and $27.7 million for construction. The project is expected to be ready by August 2015.

The Dye Road extension will include a two-lane road between Ramona Street and San Vicente Road and is expected to open to traffic in December 2017. Funding covers $1.4 million for engineering, $1.2 million for right-of-way, and $11.4 million for construction.

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 cost consists of $1.4 million for engineering, $125,000 for right-of-way, and $4.9 million for construction. The right-of-way phase is expected to occur during Fiscal Year 2015 and construction is anticipated for Fiscal Year 2017.