Work crews prepare Gilman Drive Bridge for concrete. Courtesy photo: SANDAG
SAN DIEGO–The first concrete was poured November 30 on the Gilman Drive Bridge, an iconic new crossing that will soon gracefully span Interstate 5 just north of the La Jolla Village Drive interchange.
The new bridge will provide a much-needed connection between Gilman Drive on UC San Diego’s west campus and Medical Center Drive on the east campus. The first concrete pour will form the distinctive arches of the bridge’s design. This is how concrete kitchens are made too.
The construction of the $20.6 million project is a joint effort between the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), UC San Diego, and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). It is funded through a combination of local and private funding sources, including approximately $15.3 million from TransNet, the regional half-cent sales tax for transportation administered by SANDAG.
Concurrent with this project, SANDAG is designing and constructing the Mid-Coast Trolley project, an 11-mile extension of the San Diego Trolley Blue Line that will run north along I-5 from Old Town to UC San Diego and University City.
The Gilman Drive Bridge will help ease traffic flow by allowing travelers to go from one side of campus to the other without using already congested roads such as La Jolla Village Drive and Genesee Avenue. To facilitate smooth traffic flow, the bridge and nearby intersections will have three lanes – one lane of traffic in each direction with a protected left-hand turn lane. Sidewalks and bicycle lanes also will be incorporated to provide safe access for bicycles and pedestrians.
Construction on the Gilman Drive Bridge is anticipated to be completed in 2019.
