SR 125 PROJECT OVERVIEW

Background

The expansion of State Route 125 has been part of the state’s planned freeway system since 1959. In 1984 the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) added State Route 125 South to the Regional Transportation Plan, which establishes the region’s 20-year transportation plan based on population and employment projections. This action paved the way for project studies, design concepts and community involvement through a Citizens Advisory Committee.

Seventeen conceptual alignments were evaluated through a detailed screening process including completion of an Environmental Impact Report, public review process and coordination of several public agencies and land use authorities. The new segment of State Route 125 was adopted by the California Transportation Commission on February 23, 2000, and the final environmental permits were received in the summer of 2001.

Project Description

The new State Route 125 South highway is a two-stage project that consists of constructing about 12.5 miles of new highway from SR 54 near the Sweetwater Reservoir to State Route 905 in Otay Mesa near the International Border.

The project is divided into three segments. The first two segments of the project are the Connector (a 3.2-mile publicly funded section from SR 54 to San Miguel Road in Bonita) and the Gap (a freeway-to-freeway interchange involving the reconstruction and expansion of an existing section of SR 54 where it intersects with the new route of State Route 125 South).

The remaining 9.3 miles of the project running to SR 905 near the Otay Mesa border will be a state-of-the-art toll road developed by California Transportation Ventures, Incorporated. The toll system will be designed to maximize the use of Electronic Toll Collection (ETC), allowing customers equipped with electronic transponders to drive through toll plazas at normal highway speeds.

State Route 125 will open initially as a four-lane highway with interchanges at SR 54, future Mount Miguel Road, East H Street, Otay Lakes/Telegraph Canyon Road, Olympic Parkway, future Birch Parkway and Otay Mesa Road/SR 905. The project is designed so that it may be expanded with additional interchanges, carpool lanes and/or transit facilities constructed as future regional growth and transportation needs dictate.

According to local census reports administered by SANDAG, the population of Chula Vista will reach 275,455 by 2020; a 63 percent increase over the next 20 years. Most elected officials in the area are solid supporters of the highway, which will link the exploding neighborhoods of east Chula Vista with job centers in the north and the growing industrial corridor along the border. It is estimated that once all the planned land development in South Bay takes place and the full build out of the road has been completed, approximately 200,000 vehicles per day will travel this section of State Route 125. This will greatly reduce traffic congestion on surface streets in Chula Vista and Bonita, as well as on I-5 and I-805.

Overall Goals

SR 125 South is designed to bring the greatest transportation benefit to the region, deliver a comprehensive community benefits package and safeguard the diverse wildlife and terrain in South County, all with input from residents and the community. The project will also:

• Complete a missing link in the San Diego freeway network.
  
• Reduce traffic congestion on interstates 5 and 805.
  
• Greatly reduce traffic congestion on Otay Mesa Road and local streets in Chula Vista and Bonita.
  
• Reduce drive time from Eastlake to downtown San Diego by 34 percent and to Otay Mesa by 75 percent.
  
• Improve regional mobility in the South Bay and access for residents and businesses to the employment centers on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border.
  
• Serve the already planned and approved communities that are under construction in the South Bay.

Funding

SR 125 South is being designed and constructed through an innovative public/private financial partnership between the State of California and California Transportation Ventures, Incorporated (CTV), a private consortium selected by Caltrans in 1990. Once open to traffic, CTV will operate and maintain the toll road portion of the project. After 35 years CTV will turn the toll road over to Caltrans.

At $138.58 million, funding for the Gap and Connector will come from FHWA matched with SANDAG’s TransNet local transportation sales tax revenues. Once constructed, this segment of the project will be operated and maintained by Caltrans.

The southern portion of the project will be privately financed by CTV at a cost of $635 million and will be operated as a toll road from San Miguel Road near Sweetwater Reservoir to SR 905 (Otay Mesa Road).

Additionally, area developers have dedicated right of way valued at $48 million for the toll road project.

Project Staging & Timeline

Project design and construction began in 2002. The project will be constructed in two phases with opening of the full facility scheduled for Fall 2006.

Phase 1:	Construction of an initial six-lane freeway from SR-54 to Jamacha Boulevard, also known as the "Gap." Construction of the freeway-to-freeway interchange between SR-54 and SR-125 near San Miguel road, also known as the "Connector." Phase 1 construction began in Summer 2002 and is estimated for completion by Summer 2005.
Phase 2:	Construction of 9.3 miles of four-lane highway from just south of SR-54 near the Sweetwater Reservoir to SR-905 near the international border. This section will be operated as a toll road. The groundbreaking for Phase 2 occurred in September 2003 with an estimated completion in Fall 2006.

General Organization