SANDAG compromises on transportation plan

5th District - It’s been an on-going debate amongst my fellow board members at San Diego Association of Governments. Where should we spend our transportation dollars? For those in downtown San Diego and Chula Vista, their main focus was on public transportation. For many of the North and East County leaders, the focus was freeways and highways.

Last Friday, the SANDAG board came together on a compromise that fits all the transportation needs in San Diego County. Throughout this process, I’ve asked for a balanced plan that addresses the transportation needs for all of San Diego County. Our new plan allocates dollars to new public transit projects but also includes HOV lanes for state Route 78 and Route 52, as well as expanding Highway 67.

It’s taken much discussion, but we have finally reached a compromise that all of SANDAG’s board could agree upon. There will be many more debates in the future about allocating the rest of the transportation dollars, but for now I’m excited about San Diego County’s future.