I-15 Bike Path Construction to Begin in Mid-December

Screenshot from 2015-09-14 15:31:31
the I-15 commuter bikeway is shown in grey

I just spoke with Caltrans Project Manager, Brooke Emery about the I-15 Commuter Bikeway (A multi-use, Class I path) as I was curious on when construction for the bike path would begin. Emery said that construction would begin in mid-December and will take 14 months to complete. The project hasn’t been awarded yet.

What is the 1-15 Commuter Bikeway?
via SANDAG,

This Class I bikeway, which will be separated from vehicle traffic, will extend from Adams Avenue along a one-mile segment of northbound SR 15 to Camino Del Rio South. The facility will be 12-feet wide, paved, and striped to provide two-way travel. It will be separated from the freeway shoulder by a concrete barrier. There will be locations where wider paved sections will be provided to accommodate resting or passing bike riders. Lighting will be provided along the bikeway.

Today, if you want to ride from the Central Mesa to any point north (a major job center), and don’t want to head west toward the coast before continuing north, your options are to go down either the Texas Street or the Fairmount Avenue – neither of which are streets that facilitate safe mobility, as drivers are expected to drive upwards of 45mph down both roads into Mission Valley, alongside bicycle riders. Riders are then expected to navigate past freeway merges before continuing north. The other option for a bicycle commuter is to take the Rapid bus, which has at most two bicycle racks.

But as SANDAG states in their Needs section,

“Currently, the only bike routes between Mid-City and Mission Valley are Fairmount Avenue, which has high-speed conflicts, and Texas Street, which has high-speed conflicts and a very steep, sustained grade. Neither route provides a convenient link for bicycle commuters between Mid-City and Mission Valley, and both routes result in several miles of additional travel.
The SR 15 Commuter Bikeway is rated a high priority project in the regional bike network established with the adoption of Riding to 2050, the San Diego Regional Bike Plan. This plan was adopted by the SANDAG Board of Directors in May 2010 and subsequently incorporated into the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (2050 RTP/SCS) in October 2011. The project also is included in the City of San Diego Bicycle Master Plan and the Mid-City Communities Plan.”

Screenshot from 2015-09-14 15:08:46
visual from SANDAG

But besides the bike path, new transit only lanes are currently being constructed to offer Mid-City commuters another choice in commuting. Today, the Centerline stations and transit lanes construction on I-15 is currrently underway, more than three decades after the I-15 cut through the entire Mid-City community.

The two-year Centerline project will build new station platforms, as well as dedicated bus transit lanes, within the State Route 15 median from just north of Interstate 805 to just north of Interstate 8.

A lot of advocacy for the bikeway and for the Centerline bus project is because of Randy Van Vleck who works at the City Heights Community Development Corporation (and is a founding BikeSD member). I remember discussions in 2012 with Caltrans representatives who balked at the idea of installing lighting along the I-15 bikeway. I’m not sure why Caltrans expected everyone to ride in the dark but it is because of Randy’s persistence that the facility design has been upgraded to include things like lighting. Thanks Randy!

For my part, I know I’m not alone in wishing that these projects can’t come soon enough.