By Joshua Emerson Smith / San Diego Union-Tribune / April 4, 2023
Elected leaders celebrated Tuesday the replacement of a 70-year-old bridge spanning the San Diego River between Ocean Beach and Mission Bay — the largest such project in the city’s history. The dual-structure expanse now has three lanes in each direction and includes bicycle and pedestrian paths.
The newly completed $148 million Mission Bay Drive Bridge near SeaWorld was more than four years in the making and included $80 million from President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law. … Several federal officials flew into San Diego for the press event as part of a national tour promoting the $1.2 trillion spending bill approved by Congress a year and half ago. …
Caltrans pledged in mid-March to work around the clock on replacing a 230-foot section of culvert that ruptured during a heavy downpour. However, construction continued this week with crews recently discovering several other damaged pipes. …Work on the Mission Bay bridge started in 2018, receiving a total of $138 million from the Federal Highway Administration, including the money from the infrastructure law.
City crews replaced the original four-lane bridge with two three-lane expanses, each with separate pedestrian and bicycle paths. Vehicle access was never fully closed, with the original structure being demolished only after the completion of the first of the two new crossings. The project also included 12 acres of wetland restoration along the mouth of the San Diego River between Interstate 5 and Pacific Highway, as well as near Robb Field in Ocean Beach. The project is expected to protect birds, marine mammals and other species.
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There’s a stark contrast between how well-lit the new bridge is compared to the Sunset Cliffs bridge (completely dark the last time I biked across at night).
Interestingly, the bridge, which had the process started in 2015 and would have been completed earlier without the Pandemic, is celebrating $80 million from the infrastructure bill passed about a year ago. Looks like someone is taking credit for a project that was already funded. What happened to the original $80 million that was funded?