Plans to relocate the rail line off the crumbling coastal cliffs in Del Mar are chugging along, but where to put the tracks and future tunnel has yet to be decided.
After getting public feedback and doing its own analysis, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), has narrowed down the search to three possibilities, labeled Alternatives A, B and C.
Omar Atayee, the acting director of engineering and construction with SANDAG, said each choice comes with its own benefits and challenges. For example, Alternative A, which goes along Interstate 5, begins in a trench in Solana Beach.
"We'd have to deepen the trench. That gets pretty complicated from a construction perspective because we have to keep trains running while we create a deeper trench, and then we have to get under the lagoons and over to the I- 5," Atayee said.
He also said SANDAG got a lot of feedback from the public about this option, which is the longest route, meaning it will likely cost more and take longer to build. If that option is chosen, it will also mean a longer trip for commuters.
Atayee said Alternative B, the straightest route, cuts travel time.
"From an operational perspective, we're trying to also be sensitive to commuters that are traveling along this route. It's our goal, as part of the regional plan, to have people get from Oceanside to Downtown in 33 minutes," Atayee said. "When trains have to go around curves, they have to slow down."
Alternative C has the shortest tunnel, which could mean a cheaper cost.
SANDAG has posted a map of the three potential routes on its website. Atayee explained some of the map's markings: "If you look at the circles that are on the map, those are the portals where a train enters a tunnel, and so if you go from circle to circle, you can kind of imagine how long that tunnel would be," he said.
SANDAG says nothing in the project has been finalized, but time is of the essence; every year, the bluffs erode by an average of 6 inches, creeping closer and closer to the tracks.
The next steps are to gather community feedback on the three routes. SANDAG will hold an in-person community meeting on June 18th at the San Diego Marriott Del Mar. Comments can also be submitted online or by mail until July 19th. Once public comments are in, SANDAG will still need to do more studies on the sites.
Written comments should be sent to SANDAG, 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101, ATTN: Tim Pesce; via email with subject line “SDLRR Project NOP” to: LOSSANcorridor@sandag.org; or online at SANDAG.org/railrealignment.
