DEL MAR — The Del Mar City Council is calling on regional leaders to postpone the reconstruction of the San Dieguito Railway River Bridge until after SANDAG has selected a new realignment for the rail tracks.
The new cement San Dieguito bridge will replace the 108-year-old wooden trestle bridge that carries trains over the lagoon, elevating it above the floodplain and double-tracking it for more frequent travel.
The bridge replacement is part of the larger San Dieguito Double Track and Special Events Platform project, adding 2.1 miles of double tracking between Solana Beach and Del Mar.
While the project is fully funded and construction is expected to begin as soon as 2026, the bridge could prove unnecessary depending on the route chosen for the realignment of a 1.7-mile segment of track that currently runs along the unstable Del Mar Bluffs.
At a Jan. 6 meeting, the Del Mar City Council unanimously agreed to request that the bridge replacement be postponed.
“I want to not move forward until we confirm what these routes will be,” said Councilmember Tracy Martinez.
SANDAG is currently in the environmental review process for the rail realignment project, with the agency issuing a Notice of Preparation (NOP) last summer outlining three proposed routes planned to be advanced for environmental study.
Alternative A starts in Solana Beach and gradually heads east to run along Interstate 5, and would not connect to the San Dieguito Railway River Bridge at all. Two options start in Del Mar, one following Crest Canyon (Alternative B) and another along Camino Del Mar (Alternative C).
Following strong pushback and criticism about Alternative A from the city of Solana Beach and the Del Mar Fairgrounds, SANDAG initiated a Value Analysis (VA) process in the fall to gather feedback from all affected stakeholders regarding the project, which SANDAG said could result in adding or eliminating alternatives. This could require the issuance of a new NOP.
Recently retired Mayor Dave Druker, Councilmember Tracy Martinez, and a handful of city staff are the only individuals in Del Mar who have been involved in the VA. Martinez said she has clearly communicated residents’ concerns to SANDAG during the VA process, including their opposition to eminent domain, tunneling under people’s homes and placing portals near people’s homes.
“I don’t know what SANDAG will come up with, but I am not optimistic. I am concerned as well,” Martinez said. “It could actually be a death sentence for Del Mar, and I’m very aware of that.”
Before the analysis results go before the SANDAG board of directors, city leaders said other council members and the residents of Del Mar should have a chance to provide feedback.
“It is critically important to give the public and elected representatives who were not able to directly participate in the VA an opportunity to review the VA Study Report and weigh in prior to a recommendation being made to the SANDAG Board,” the city said in a Dec. 19 letter to SANDAG, included as part of the Jan. 6 City Council meeting agenda.
The city’s letter also expressed concern about the number of new routes included in a draft Value Analysis report, stating that the draft report included a limited overview of 13 new alignments in addition to the original three.
Council members signaled that the city is prepared to challenge SANDAG, if necessary, to ensure adequate involvement in the project. Due to the project’s potential impacts, the city has also requested designation as a responsible agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Martinez said there’s a good chance SANDAG will try to move forward with the train tunnel and that the city is “preparing” by consulting with its attorneys.
John Spelich, Del Mar’s newest council member, said he and the other two council members who aren’t part of the VA are “handicapped” by not being involved in the process.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize … that this may not go well for Del Mar,” Spelich said. “If SANDAG chooses to declare war on Del Mar, then a war is what they’ll get.”
Councilmember Dan Quirk, meanwhile, said he did not believe that SANDAG would be able to move forward with the project due to the failure of the proposed sales tax Measure G in November and the unlikelihood of funding from the Trump administration.
Anticipated costs for the project are as high as $4 billion.
