DEL MAR — The San Diego Association of Governments has narrowed down an array of potential rail realignment options for the tracks in Del Mar and plans to include three in further environmental review, according to a June 4 notice of preparation.
SANDAG’s notice of preparation (NOP) for its upcoming environmental report initiates a 45-day comment period. During this time, local agencies and residents are asked to give feedback on the planned scope, including the three alignment alternatives and environmental impacts.
The NOP focuses on an alignment that runs along Interstate 5, another along Crest Canyon, and a third along Camino Del Mar. All three alignment options include a proposed north and south portal, underground tunneling and double tracking.
Anticipated to cost upwards of $4 billion, the realignment project will relocate a crucial 1.7-mile section of the Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo-San Diego (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor off the unstable Del Mar bluffs and further inland via underground tunnels.
The I-5 alternative is the longest realignment option at approximately 6.8 miles, entering a portal north of the Fairgrounds in Solana Beach and continuing south into the Fairgrounds with an underground special events platform. It would then continue under the San Dieguito Lagoon and veer east to follow the I-5 freeway and exit at a knoll near the interstate.
The 5.3-mile Crest Canyon alignment would begin at a portal near the intersection of Jimmy Durante Boulevard and Camino Del Mar and continue southeast to exit at the knoll near I-5 to connect to the existing track.
The Camino Del Mar option spans 4.9 miles, also entering a portal near the intersection of Jimmy Durante Boulevard and Camino Del Mar and exiting from a southern portal at Torrey Pines Road and Carmel Valley Road onto a bridge over the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon before connecting to the existing track.
Infrastructure planned as part of the project includes the construction of bored tunnels, which involve boring a circular tunnel into the earth, as well as cut-and-cover tunnels, which are rectangular tunnels constructed within dug trenches and covered back up after construction.
The project would also include the construction of U-structures and open-top pathways excavated into the ground to transition the tracks from tunnels to the surface.
The NOP also listed various impacts that will be studied in the environmental impact report. These include aesthetics, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, noise and vibration, recreation, hazardous materials, population and housing, and biological, mineral, geological and water resources.
Written comments can be sent to SANDAG at 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101, with attention to Tim Pesce; via email with the subject line “SDLRR Project NOP” to [email protected]; or online at SANDAG.org/railrealignment.
Comments can also be shared at a public scoping meeting on June 18 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the San Diego Marriott Del Mar.
City response
In addition to resident feedback, the Del Mar City Council will provide its own response to the NOP, highlighting any areas that should be added to the environmental review. The council will discuss the NOP at their June 17 meeting and consider a draft response to SANDAG on July 8.
“We need to make sure the NOP covers all the issues we care about,” Del Mar City Councilmember Dwight Worden said at the council’s Monday meeting.
The City Council has yet to support a specific alignment. Last fall, the city adopted a set of guiding principles communicating local priorities for the project, including exploring various alignments, public engagement and transparency, opposition to eminent domain and placement of portals near homes.
While the I-15 option has received a better response from residents than other alternatives, many people in Del Mar are opposed to the idea of a tunnel altogether and are concerned about irreversible impacts on the city. On Monday, some residents said they want city leaders to take a stronger stance in communicating the city’s concerns to SANDAG.
Resident Bill Carpenter said he wished the City Council had not rejected the proposal for a residents’ task force earlier this year to review the NOP and encouraged the council to form strategic partnerships with state and local environmental agencies that align with the city’s priorities.
“SANDAG’s selection of an alignment is strategically important to Del Mar. [It’s] almost an existential issue for us,” Carpenter said. “What have you been doing for the past couple of months? I can’t see it, it’s not obvious.”
Council members said they will hold another special meeting before June 17, if needed, to discuss the NOP and ensure the city provides a thoughtful response. City Manager Ashley Jones said they will also request a time extension from SANDAG.
“This is such a changemaker to our city. We need to be as thorough as we can,” said City Councilmember Terry Gaasterland.
SANDAG aims to complete a draft environmental document next year and finalize it by 2026, with the goal of actually relocating the tracks by 2035.
