Written by: Amanda Angulo
Three years after San Diego’s Mayor Todd Gloria wrote an op-ed demanding the city to link the airport to the San Diego Trolley. However, now that he is mayor, we have not seen this project anywhere near completion.
The extension would require the construction of an intermodal transit center and would need help and collaboration from MTS, SANDAG, the city of San Diego, and the Port district with the Airport Authority.
In 1981, San Diego launched the trolley, regarded as the nation’s first modern light-rail system. However, the trolley was built on an existing railroad and was not a huge success or great call because there was no change to the path, meaning that the system did not travel through most neighborhoods nor workplaces of most San Diegans. Furthermore, the trolley barely goes through any of the city’s main attractions. The city would have to buy land to make the trolley rails more convenient for its users, which in hindsight, is probably what the city should have done.
The blue line reaches close to the airport. However, there is no stop or destination to the airport exactly. And it’s been like that for the past 40 years. While Gloria has been in office, he did not do as he said he would do.
Currently, there are about two main ways to reach there through public transportation. One would be taking the Metropolitan Transit System’s 992 bus. While it works for some people, it is worth noting that there are about 1,000 daily riders a day. Another way to reach the airport is to take the trolley to the Middletown Station, walk down Palm Street, and catch a shuttle near the rental car agency, primarily serving rental car users.
In November, there will be a third option for public transportation from the trolley to the airport, an electric shuttle from Old Town Transit Station to the terminals.
At the moment, SANDAG seems to be taking over the project and weighing out their options, yet they still need to settle on how they will fund it. While it has been included in SANDAG’s plan for regional transportation through 2050, it does not mean that money is secured for any of the projects. Funding for such a project would be proposed to voters on the ballot as soon as 2022.
By October, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority expects to see a vote on the maximum amount of money to be spent on rebuilding Terminal 1. Additionally, it is important to note that in 2019, the airport and airline partners announced to reserve $500 million on transit improvements, which includes the Terminal 1 expansion.
“Historically, at least, they don’t all report to the same elected officials. As such, it’s very easy for the status quo to prevail. Now, it’s a little different because AB 805 means a smaller group of officials have a lot of authority in how this prevails – Mayor Gloria especially.” Said a parent concerned about Gloria’s power over transportation decisions, primarily due to the amount of time he let by without any movement on the expansion of the blue line.
Picture from: San Diego RV Resort
