A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled Monday for an 80-foot-wide community sign that will welcome people to Barrio Logan the same way similar signs do in the Gaslamp Quarter and Hillcrest.
The sign will hang across Cesar Chavez Parkway, between Main Street and Newton Avenue, according to the Port of San Diego. It will be yellow and orange, and depict symbols of creation in Aztec and Mayan civilizations -- a pyramid, an ear of corn and a fish.
The port said the so-called gateway sign, which will hang 23 feet above the roadway at its highest point, should help divert truck traffic from Cesar Chavez Parkway, making the area safer for pedestrians. The sign is also expected to add to the revitalization and beautification of the once-neglected area south of downtown.
The sign is projected to cost at least $300,000 and is part of a larger $1.55 million transportation improvement project being launched by the Port of San Diego in Barrio Logan. The project also includes various road improvements.
According to the port, the transportation project will help ease the movement of goods to and from the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal. Port officials hope that leads to safer streets and improved air quality.
