A Bridge for SeaWorld on Its Way Over the San Diego River

Looking west along the construction site that is east of the bridge. All photos by Frank Gormlie, unless otherwise indicated.

You’ve seen the cranes and all the equipment parked next to the bridge over the San Diego River, undoubtedly.

The giant building hardware and all the workers are busy replacing the old, ’50’s 4-lane bridge, called the West Mission Bay Drive bridge which stretches across the river. It will be replaced with two new, 3-lane bridges, with protected bike paths on both spans.

It’s all part of the City plan to help improve traffic flow to SeaWorld and the beach communities.

View of the bridge approaching from OB, looking eastward.

The current West Mission Bay Drive bridge is one of the primary arteries funneling people and cars to the entrance of SeaWorld, just a couple thousand feet away from the end of the bridge, and into the city’s central beach neighborhoods. And aren’t we lucky. SeaWorld money will help pay for it.

The pathway is unobstructed during the weekends.

The project will supposedly cost $110 million, with its funding from a variety of sources, including:

• $4.9 million from Sea World traffic mitigation,
• $91.5 million from a Federal Highway Administration grand fund, and
• $13.5 million from a Transnet Extension fee.

SeaWorld has been having troubles of late – and as Mayor Faulconer’s budget benefits from good attendance figures at the controversial aquatic park on public property – the least the city can do is help them up with better traffic flow. (Although some grassroots critics predict the traffic will just get worse. (See comments to earlier article on the bridge.)

Pathway east of the bridge.

Here’s some interesting factoids about the bridge reconstruction:

• The use of a unique construction method will leave traffic on the existing bridge uninterrupted for the duration of the project.
• A temporary staging and construction bridge will be built next to the northbound side of the bridge, which will hold the construction equipment needed to build the new three-lane northbound bridge.
• Crews will then place structural supports deep into the ground (between the existing bridge and temporary construction bridge), and build the new bridge roadway on top of the supports.
• Once the northbound bridge is completed, the temporary bridge will be removed from the northbound side, and rebuilt along the southbound side to repeat the process.

This was the same bridge construction site that then-councilwoman Lorie Zapf – running hard to keep her seat – joined Mayor Faulconer back on May 30, just 6 days before the June Primary, for a major photo op announcing the new bridges.

Workers did surround some of the larger trees at the site with orange netting.

At the time, both Faulconer and Zapf wanted to improve their images before the public; Faulconer had just released his city budget, touting it as “the largest infrastructure investment in San Diego history”, and Zapf wanted also to appear like she’s down on infrastructure.

Screen grab of animated video.

And here’s a nifty cartoon video timeline of the reconstruction of the bridge.

Plus here’s a more complete  construction animation with end point improvement for your viewing enjoyment https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/west_mission_bay_drive_bridge_-_construction_animation_0.mp4

At the end (after the tiny little crane stops dancing) a bigger Sea World Drive intersection magically blossoms. (Hat tip to Peter of Oceanside)