SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Southeastern San Diego and National City are two of three communities participating in a new state pilot program to transform and reconnect underserved communities historically divided by highway construction.
"The other thing was they [neighborhoods] used to connect down to San Diego Bay, and they had informal trails and ways to get to the bay, but the infrastructure has created barriers to all of that," said Leslie Reynolds, the Executive Director of Groundwork San Diego Chollas Creek.
Groundwork San Diego looks after the Chollas Creek watershed, which stretches through Southeastern neighborhoods, as well as Barrio Logan.
The organization advocates for green infrastructure and climate-safe neighborhoods.
"Part of the goal for the pilot in connecting the communities is also to connect the communities to our coastal assets and resources," Reynolds said.
Reynolds said neighborhoods divided by the Interstate 15, Interstate 805, and State Route 94 freeways deal with excessive traffic, air pollution, and a lack of bike trails and green spaces.
"Not only did that deprive them of beautiful recreational resources. It also exacerbated the flooding," Reynolds said.
The state did not say how much the grant would be. Still, it said that SANDAG will collaborate with community-based partners Urban Collaborative Project, Groundwork San Diego, and Mundo Gardens to design and ultimately build projects that "address inequity, connect to transit, housing, jobs, green space, and other community-based solutions."
Reynolds said the first step is getting input from residents.
"Figuring out what is it that has most disadvantaged you by all of this freeway infrastructure and what would you most like to see," Reynolds said.
Barry Pollard is the Executive Director of the Urban Collaborative Project, which creates action plans, research and solutions to address disparities in Southeastern San Diego.
"Our goal is to make walkable communities because the biggest element of despair we have here is health," he said.
Pollard said the program will also help make it easier for people who rely on public transit.
"There's going to be improvements made to the Orange Line, which has been long overdue," Pollard said.
