The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is asking the public for input on a new rail realignment option for the Del Mar bluffs.
The agency released a new notice of preparation (NOP) on May 16, triggering a 45-day public comment period before it can start the environmental impact report. This came after public pushback on the three options presented in the initial NOP last year.
The twist? The new option is an old one, leaving the route where it is.
Under the new proposal, the bluffs would be reinforced, and another track would be added to reduce rail congestion in the area.
But some residents don't like the idea.
“I don’t think they (the tracks) should stay on the bluffs,” said Emma Daly, who lives on the Del Mar bluffs next to the train tracks.
“A hundred years from now, there’s probably not even going to be anymore bluffs," she said. "Every year, we see rockfalls and erosion. So I don’t see the point building more train tracks here.”
Del Mar's bluffs are eroding at an average of six inches per year. In some places, the tracks are just feet away from the bluffs. In recent years, coastal erosion caused multiple bluff collapses that disrupted rail traffic along the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) corridor.
The LOSSAN corridor is the region's main rail connection to the rest of the nation, moving billions of dollars of goods each year.
SANDAG deputy planning director Keith Greer said this latest option was added after more than 1,500 residents' input.
“This project tries to figure out the best solution for maintaining that line," he said. "And we have four different options right now. But we're looking for input on those four options. What else should we consider.”
Two of the three previously presented options involved tunneling under homes in Del Mar. The other moves the tracks inland to Interstate 5 and tunnels underneath the San Dieguito Lagoon.
Now, this fourth option is in contrast to SANDAG's stated goal of moving the tracks inland.
“Yeah, it’s a puzzle,” said Del Mar Mayor Terry Gaasterland.
In her opinion, moving the tracks next to the I-5 is the best option, but she said adding the option to leave them where they are for the environmental impact study would give the city and SANDAG more options.
“Personally, I believe that this environmental study is going to tell us all the things that are good, all the things that are bad, and we're going to wind up with a menu of what could possibly be done,” Gassterland said.
SANDAG is using $300 million from a state grant awarded in 2022 for the environmental impact study and engineering work, which is expected to be finished in three years. But for Daly, the choice is clear.
“I think moving the tracks inland and closer to the 5, rerouting it would be a better idea,” she said.
The public has a chance to weigh in on any of the proposed options in person from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, but comments will be accepted through June 30.
