by Natallie Rocha / inewsource.org
[inewsource.org answers reader Peter Doft about a construction site on Friars Road: ]
“What’s going on with the portion of Friars Road west of the trolley tracks as you approach Sea World Drive. It’s been under construction for years yet no one is ever working there. A real eyesore.”
You can’t miss what Doft is asking about if you’re on Friars Road between Morena Boulevard and SeaWorld Drive. The road has been cut down to two lanes, with the other lanes used to store heavy equipment and stacks of construction material.
The reason for that “eyesore” Doft sees — the San Diego River Double Track project.
Construction workers are adding about one mile of railroad track from Tecolote Road to the Old Town Transit Center, replacing a decades-old rail bridge that crosses the San Diego River and building a light-rail line for the Mid-Coast Trolley.
Construction material for a rail project is shown on Oct. 7, 2019, on Friars Road near Morena Boulevard. (Natallie Rocha/inewsource)
The new railroad track will provide a second track to allow multiple trains to pass through the area. With the current setup, trains crossing the San Diego River bridge can’t pass at the same time.
The San Diego Association of Governments started building the $94 million double-track project in 2016 and expects it to be finished next August. Federal funds and the countywide half-cent TransNet sales tax are paying for the transportation improvements.
As for why Doft doesn’t see much construction work going on at the site, some of it’s done at night.
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I see them working when I ride my bike to that YMCA around 8AM every morning. There is slow but steady progress!