SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego City Council Monday approved $293 million for critical infrastructure projects across the city, including major road repairs and park improvements.
The infrastructure funding was pushed by Mayor Todd Gloria, who said it would allow his administration to "maintain his focus on repairing and upgrading San Diego's long-neglected infrastructure," including transportation, stormwater, parks, city facilities, public safety and environmental services.
"Repairing the physical infrastructure that our city needs to function at the highest possible level for our residents is one of the top priorities of my administration," Gloria said. "These upgrades, repairs and replacements will go a long way toward addressing our infrastructure backlog and moving San Diego forward."
The largest chunk is headed to public safety with $97.7 million to replace radio equipment for $56.4 million and 34 heavy-duty fire trucks for $41.3 million that have exceeded their useful life.
Environmental services will receive $50.4 million, intended to allow the city to implement a new refuse and recycling collection system to comply with state requirements to recycle organic waste. Stormwater's $49.6 million seeks to restore funding for the city's aging stormwater infrastructure, which faces a backlog of over a billion dollars over the next five years, according to a city report.
Nearly half of the funding for transportation upgrades -- $28.4 million -- will go to Gloria's "Sexy Streets" initiative, which prioritizes road repairs in historically underserved communities. This funding supplements the roughly $10 million for road repair that Gloria included in his budget. A total of $59.4 million is allocated for mobility and transportation.
Specific projects slated to receive funding, which Gloria highlighted include:
-- $11 million to reconstruct Gold Coast Drive and Parkdale Avenue in Mira Mesa;
-- $4 million to realign Alvarado Road in the College Area;
-- $2.7 million to repair the roof of the federal building in Balboa Park;
-- $2.1 million to improve public access to the coast at Bermuda Avenue in Ocean Beach;
-- $12.6 million to help renovate the Botanical Building in Balboa Park;
-- $1.7 million to plan the new Chollas Triangle Park in El Cerrito;
-- $1.6 million for Hickman Fields Athletic Area in Kearny Mesa;
-- $940,000 for libraries in Ocean Beach and San Carlos;
-- $250,000 for the fire station in Skyline Hills;
-- $40,000 for Wightman Street Neighborhood Park in City Heights;
-- $10.3 million to install or upgrade streetlights;
-- $4.8 million to repair sidewalks;
-- $280,000 to improve guard rails;
-- $30.4 million to improve drainage; and
-- $18.7 million for watershed management.
