Crews Begin Next Phase of Trolley to '2nd Downtown'

In the University City area, work has begun to build raised structures to support the trolley line expansion from Old Town to La Jolla.The work is part of an 11-mile extension of the San Diego Trolley Blue Line that will eventually allow residents living in La Jolla and the UTC area to use public transportation instead of Interstates 5 and 805.  SD Explained: Trolley Expansion The area along the Mid-Coast Corridor is predicted to increase 19 percent by the year 2030, while employment is predicted to increase 12 percent, according to San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).John Haggerty, Rail Director for SANDAG said it’s a prime area to bring in transit. Work Crews Remove 12 Eucalyptus Trees for Trolley Expansion “This is essentially San Diego’s second downtown,” said Haggerty.“We’ll provide essentially a means for transportation that’s not on the surface, that’s not blocking the roads,” he said. Trolley Extension Project to Improve Job Access: SANDAG There will be a station on west side of I-5 and the UC San Diego campus and another station on the east side of the university’s campus.Service of the new extension is scheduled to begin in 2021. The current cost of the project is $2.1 billion. Funding was secured through a grant from the Federal Transit Administration and TransNet.
Source: NBC San Diego