San Diego transportation projects win $15 million in federal funding
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Two San Diego projects won a combined $15 million in federal grants, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The federal funds will help upgrade the Port of San Diego's 10th Avenue Marine Terminal to improve its cargo business — and enable the North County Transit District to eventually increase frequency on the eastern portion of the Sprinter light rail.
Driving the news: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $1.8 billion in grants under the agency's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program.
- The port received $5 million to plan the next phase of its 10th Avenue Marine Terminal redevelopment.
- NCTD received $10.2 million for its Sprinter double-tracking project.
Zoom in: The first phase of the port's completed marine terminal modernization cost $24 million. It was kickstarted by a $10 million federal grant in 2015 and was intended to expand cargo operations and make them more environmentally friendly.
- The next phase will make cargo operations safer and more efficient and is expected to reduce polluting truck trips through nearby Barrio Logan, per the grant award.
- U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) said in a Tuesday news release the second phase would create jobs and reduce air pollution near the terminal.
The Sprinter is NCTD's 22-mile, light-rail line from Oceanside to Escondido, and the agency aims to double track 9.6 miles of that corridor.
- The new funding will cover the engineering and environmental review for 3.6 miles of that plan — between Palomar College Station and the Escondido Transit Center.
- It would also cover planning for three new bridges, a new station and separating the tracks from road intersections.
Flashback: In 2022, NCTD won $7.2 million for the project, which aims to eventually enable the agency to run trains every 15 minutes on the route.