Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution requesting the San Diego Association of Governments to provide $8.6 million of advanced TransNet funding through debt financing for five county road projects, including $1.5 million to provide a continuous left-turn lane on East Mission Road between South Mission Road and De Luz Road.
The 5-0 vote April 13 also amends the TransNet local streets and roads program to reflect the anticipated advanced funding.
“What we’re proposing to do is to remove a constriction in East Mission Road,” explained county engineer Doug Isbell. “If we obtain some additional right-of-way off the front of those two lots, we can widen the road.”
That segment of East Mission Road currently includes two travel lanes but no continuous left-turn lane, while adjacent segments of the street also include a continuous left-turn lane. The additional right-of-way easements obtained from those two properties will allow for the road widening and the additional non-travel lane.
The county’s Department of Public Works has sought to remove the constriction. “Removing it would improve traffic flow,” Isbell said.
DPW is not alone in that desire. “This improvement on East Mission is a high priority with the Fallbrook Community Planning Group,” Isbell noted. “They’ve been very much in favor of it.”
In the November 2004 election the TransNet sales tax extension received the necessary two-thirds support to extend the sales tax through 2048. Although the extension itself will not be in effect until the original TransNet tax expires in 2008, the approval of the sales tax allows the San Diego Association of Governments to issue bonds backed by the future sales tax revenue stream. On January 28 the SANDAG board approved an early action plan which allowed SANDAG staff to begin developing detailed financial strategies and schedules to advance the early action projects and programs.
The TransNet tax revenue is split between highways and regional arterials, transit, and local roads. SANDAG will make the decisions regarding the allocations for highways, regional roads, and transit while each of the 19 jurisdictions will decide which local roads will be funded and to what extent.
The SANDAG portion of the early action plan includes more than $15 million of advance funding for State Route 76, and SANDAG also requested that local agencies submit a list of ready-to-construct projects for inclusion in the early action debt financing program. SANDAG’s board is expected to consider the debt financing program, including the local projects, at its June 24 meeting.
The design for the East Mission Road widening is complete, and the project will be ready for construction after the necessary right-of-way is acquired. The $1.5 million is expected to cover both the right-of-way acquisition and the construction costs.
The amended program plan calls for the expenditure of the entire $1.5 million during Fiscal Year 2005-06. “I think it all can be done in a year’s time,” Isbell said.
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