Regional transportation planners are exploring three options for a transit connection to San Diego International Airport: a trolley extension, an automated people mover and expanded bus service.
Two are rooted in fantasy, one in reality. Take a wild guess which is which.
The four-decade yearning for a trolley link to what used to be known as Lindbergh Field refuses to die, despite big logistical hurdles and funding that doesn’t seem anywhere to be found. The same goes for what one official called a “light, light rail” people mover, even if the idea hasn’t been around as long.
It would seem voter rejection this month of Measure G, a countywide half-cent sales tax increase for regional transportation, finally would have put a stake in the heart of both. Had the tax been approved, much more would be needed for a rail line to the airport, but the new money would have helped attract matching grants.
Even if billions of dollars to build such projects were available, there’s an ongoing discussion about whether it’s worth sinking that kind of money into such a short route, potentially at the expense of many other countywide transportation needs.
For whatever reasons, the San Diego Association of Governments is pressing ahead with, and spending money on, examining trolley and people mover airport connections, even though the diminished prospects seem to have reached the point of no return.
A recent SANDAG discussion about where to find funding for such projects might be described as earnest wishful thinking.
That leaves the bus and shuttle operations, which already exist, are flexible and can be expanded fairly easily. That’s also something San Diego probably can afford.
The once-lowly bus option is starting to get some of the love it has long deserved, albeit out of necessity. Transportation to the airport has been stuck in limbo for too long as officials chased their great white whale.
With the first phase of the new Terminal 1 targeted for completion by the second half of next year, something needs to be done soon.
A staff presentation to SANDAG’s Transportation Committee on Dec. 15 about an improved airport connection seemed to put expanded bus and shuttle service on a par with trolley and people-mover projects — sort of.
The word “interim” was quickly attached to the bus option until the more sexy, and publicly popular, alternatives could be realized. But even under the best of circumstances, a trolley or people mover probably would be a decade away, what with data collection, public outreach, environmental reviews, selection process, funding hunt and eventual construction.
SANDAG seems intent on moving ahead immediately with expanded bus service. That may become more clear next month as the full board of directors is expected to discuss the airport connection.
The presentation was given by Marisa Mangan, a senior SANDAG regional planner, who briefly outlined the pros and cons of the three options, noting buses would be more cost-effective and could be implemented quickly.
At least initially, the focus would be on expanding two existing bus routes.
The Metropolitan Transit System 992 bus runs a downtown loop to the airport about every 15 minutes. From the Santa Fe Depot, the 992 schedule boasts an 11- to 12-minute trip to Terminal 1 and three more minutes to Terminal 2.
The San Diego Flyer, launched by the Airport Authority three years ago, goes between the Old Town Transit Center and the airport every 20 to 30 minutes. The trip is advertised as 20 minutes long, but can take less depending on traffic, lights and, currently, airport construction.
The shuttle has two routes — Pacific Highway to North Harbor Drive to the airport, or Pacific Highway to an airport access road east of the runway that is used by rental car buses.
In the “mid-term,” moves would be made to give the buses and shuttles street priority, according to Mangan, perhaps with the creation of bus lanes or some other mechanisms.
At the committee meeting, Sharon Cooney, CEO of MTS, applauded the “consideration of near-term alternatives because I think with the terminal opening up, we really want to see something that’s going to contribute to the success of that facility.”
Discussing the options, La Mesa City Councilmember Jack Shu, chair of the SANDAG Transportation Committee, raised the issue of funding possibilities.
Specifically, he noted the Airport Authority restrictions on spending on off-site projects and suggested there may be leeway for the agency to “fund much of the people moving, for example, 100 percent.”
In a statement, the authority said the Federal Aviation Administration regulates and restricts how airports may use airport revenue for off-airport and non-airport purposes, but added the FAA “may approve limited off-airport expenditures such as the some of the intersection improvements that serve the airport.”
The authority also mentioned a current agreement with the airlines, approved by the FAA, that includes $300 million “that may be used for the construction of a transit solution that serves the airport, such as the on-airport station.”
The last cost estimate for a rail link to the airport was about $2 billion at the low end. That’s about five years old and Mangan said an update into current dollars will be needed.
Hold on to your hat when the new figure emerges.
Shu, Mangan and others also talked about the prospect of a road charge or Vehicle Miles Traveled fee to discourage driving to the airport and help fund transit. The VMT concept is controversial and has proved politically perilous in San Diego. Shu noted the full SANDAG board has voted against such a charge, but he wanted to keep the idea alive locally, given the state may eventually enact one.
They further suggested the possibility of charging a fee to drive to the airport, along with federal transportation funding and grants from the FAA.
SANDAG staff is conducting public surveys on how people get to the airport, what they think about their options and what they would like. Shu suggested taking a random group of San Diegans, sending them to airports that have people movers and collecting their opinions and experiences.
That may be interesting, but San Diego International is unique in that it is centrally located on the edge of downtown, unlike most other major airports.
Regardless, SANDAG officials are heading toward what Mangan called the “rubber tire solution.”
It may be San Diego’s forever “interim” airport connection.
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