DEL MAR — A new value analysis report released by SANDAG on Friday includes a long list of new alignment options for the rail corridor in Del Mar, with the board to decide upon specific options to study further in the coming weeks.
The LOSSAN Rail Realignment project aims to 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 into underground tunnels further inland while improving rail reliability and frequency.
On Friday, SANDAG shared a 269-page report resulting from a value analysis process undertaken last fall to review technical aspects of the project. This analysis involved several stakeholders, including representatives from the cities of Del Mar, Solana Beach, San Diego, Encinitas, and Carlsbad and agencies like North County Transit District, the 22nd District Agricultural Association, and the California Department of Transportation.
The report explored 16 different realignment options studied as part of the value analysis, featuring various combinations of six north portal options, five south portal options, and 10 different routes.
Three of these routes were first outlined in a notice of preparation (NOP) last summer, and are known as alternatives A, B and C. Alternative A proposed a route beginning in Solana Beach and running along Interstate 5, and alternatives B and C both begin in Del Mar and run along Crest Canyon and Camino Del Mar, respectively.
At the time, Alternative A received strong pushback from the 22nd DAA, which manages the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and the city of Solana Beach due to the potentially devastating impacts on existing infrastructure and economic operations. Complaints about a lack of engagement spurred SANDAG to start the value analysis process with more stakeholders to develop further route options.
According to SANDAG representatives, the agency will create a refined list of recommended alternatives for the Board of Directors to consider later this month. At that point, the board will advance certain options for further study and decide whether to issue a new NOP before advancing to further environmental study.
“SANDAG staff has been reviewing the conceptual ideas that were raised through the value analysis study, as well as prior studies, and public feedback, and will be proposing alternatives for the Board of Directors to consider at its meeting on Feb. 28. This will also be the next opportunity for public feedback,” SANDAG spokesperson Stacy Garcia said Monday.
SANDAG staff said Monday they are preliminarily studying five options for recommendation to the board as a result of the value analysis study. These routes are referred to as Under Crest Canyon, Under Camino Del Mar, San Dieguito Bridge to I-5 Knoll, Del Mar Bluffs Double Track Reinforced, and a no-build option.
Under Crest Canyon is largely similar to the Alternative B route proposed last summer. It would place a north portal under Jimmy Durante Boulevard and run east below Crest Canyon before exiting at a knoll along Interstate 5.
Under Camino Del Mar would also feature a north portal under Jimmy Durante Boulevard, and then travel south following Camino Del Mar before exiting just west of Torrey Pines Road north of Los Peñasquitos Lagoon. This appears to largely follow the Alternative C route.
Both of the aforementioned realignments are intended to minimize subsurface easements, according to SANDAG.
The San Dieguito Bridge realignment is an edited version of the Alternative A route, with less impacts to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, City of Solana Beach and San Dieguito Bridge.
While Alternative A proposed placing a portal north of the Fairgrounds and a tunnel heading southeast under the San Dieguito Lagoon before heading along I-5, the realigned version would begin south of the Fairgrounds and avoid the lagoon before heading east toward the freeway. The tunnel would also exit at a knoll near I-5.
SANDAG said Monday they are also studying an option to maintain the current alignment along the bluffs and add a double track that would continue through Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, with bluff reinforcement and more robust seawalls.
Lastly, the “no build” option would include continuation of major stabilization efforts to maintain the current single-track alignment along the bluff.
Value analysis report
During the value analysis, SANDAG explored several portal locations where the train would transition underground into a tunnel (north portal) and exit the tunnel to the surface (south portal).
The location of both portals have major implications for the surrounding areas, including the potential for eminent domain.
The value analysis report explored several north portal locations —- in Solana Beach, near the intersection of Jimmy Durante Boulevard and David Way, within the old Del Mar Train Station across from Powerhouse Park, within the Camino Del Mar right-of-way, under Jimmy Durante Boulevard, and at the Camino Del Mar overpass at Jimmy Durante Boulevard.
South portal location options included a knoll near I-5, directly east of Torrey Pines Road at Carmel Valley Road, directly west of Torrey Pines Road, at Sorrento Valley and near Portofino Road.
Many of the routes outlined in the study were variations of alignments through Crest Canyon and Camino Del Mar, in addition to some further west closer to the current tracks and some along I-5.
When stakeholders gave feedback on a draft of the value analysis report in December, they showed the most interest in routes located under Camino Del Mar and Crest Canyon, according to the final report.
Most of the explored alignments were in the range of $3 billion to $4 billion, with longer routes anticipated to cost as much as $9 billion. No funding has been identified for the actual construction of the project yet.
The report also explored more drastic and expensive options, including relocating a 25-mile stretch of the LOSSAN corridor from Oceanside to Sorrento Valley to run I-5. This would cost between $34 billion to $45 billion and result in the loss of more than $1 billion in infrastructure.
“The magnitude of challenges in delivering a project of this nature would be significant,” the value analysis report states.
Another alternative explored relocating solely freight operations to run alongside Interstate 15 from Perris to San Diego, which would likely cost a whopping $118 billion at minimum and require decades of planning.
The report also outlined other considerations, some of which would be paired with proposed alignments or explored more during the design phase.
These could include realigning the intersection of Jimmy Durante Boulevard and Camino Del Mar to the area of the existing rail alignment, optimizing the locations of berms and bridges in Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, and providing a tunnel profile above flood levels.
Next steps
Final recommendations regarding which routes to advance for environmental study will be outlined in the agenda for the Feb. 28 meeting of the SANDAG board of directors, once it is published. Agendas are available on the SANDAG website at sandag.org/meetings-and-events/board-of-directors.
Community members can also give feedback on the value analysis report and recommendations during this meeting.
Comments can be made in-person at the meeting or via Zoom during the item. A virtual link to the meeting will be available within the meeting agenda once it is posted online.
If another NOP is issued, this will kickstart another 45-day period for the public to provide public comment.
