A major improvement project is underway to provide relief to the most congested section of Interstate 15 in San Diego. The first phase of the I-5 Managed Lanes/ Bus Rapid Transit Project is fast becoming a reality.

On Thursday, March 25 the public is invited to an open house and public workshop on the I-15 Managed Lanes/ Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and BRT Stations. The workshop will be held at the Oaks North Community Center (12578 Oaks North Drive) in Rancho Bernardo from 3 to 7 p.m.

Residents and business people who live, work, or travel along Interstate 15 should plan to attend. Residents and employers alike want travel option solutions. Working with the community since 1995, the San Diego Association of Governments (formerly the Metropolitan Transit Development Board) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have developed a concept to create more commute options. The concept is Managed Lanes/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The “managed lanes” could be built by 2007.

The workshop will describe the project, an eight-mile Managed Lane and BRT facility. The “managed lanes” component of the project will create a “freeway within a freeway” consisting of a four-lane facility in the freeway median separated by a concrete barrier from the existing freeway lanes. The four lanes would be “managed” by having a movable barrier that allows the number of lanes per direction to be changed depending on the time of day. During the busy morning commute, for example, three lanes could be open southbound and one lane northbound. In the afternoons, the lane configuration would be reversed. There would be access points into and out of the managed lane facility approximately every mile. The lanes would allow priority for carpools, vanpools, FasTrak drivers, and buses.

A state-of-the-art Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) will offer high-speed connections to key travel destinations throughout the region. Specially-designed over-the-road vehicles with capacity for 40 to 60 travelers will be used on the BRT services. The vehicles will feature customer amenities such as computer plug-ins, fold down tables, reading lamps, individual temperature control units, and extra space to store briefcases.

The Managed Lanes will include special access ramps to provide direct connections to three BRT stations that will be built at Sabre Springs/Peñasquitos, Rancho Bernardo, and South Escondido. The ramps will enable BRT vehicles traveling up and down the corridor to have fast access in and out of the stations with minimal time delay.

Ultimately, the Managed Lanes project will grow from eight miles to a 20-mile facility between SR 78 and SR 163 by 2010. As envisioned, there will be access ramps to two additional transit centers, the Escondido Transit Center and the future Mira Mesa Transit Center as expanded BRT services with 10-minute frequency provide service throughout the day.

Project Manager: Kathy Donnelly
(619) 557-4545