More airport updates!
Talks over how to connect the airport to public transit have been... happening. There isn't widespread agreement on much yet, even basic concepts like mode or connections to the wider system. Here's where we're at right now:
Most of the concepts focus on a transit plaza in this area, replacing a portion of the new T1 parking structure. Modes that can't share ROW with autos won't be able to run E/W along the south side of the terminals without causing access issues so all systems with dedicated ROW will need to dead end here with a single station roughly equidistant between the two terminals.
This is the first concept, using a shared ROW with auto traffic. The system would start out with shuttles similar to the existing rental car shuttle, which could feasibly be replaced with automated vehicles at a later date. It has the distinct advantage of primarily utilizing existing/planned roadway infrastructure, which would make it significantly cheaper than the other options, and is the only system that could realistically offer service to both terminals separately. The disadvantage is that transit vehicles would need to share space (and traffic) with autos in the terminal area, slowing down service. All the further concepts have dedicated ROW.
This is the first concept for dedicated ROW, connecting to either one of the nearby trolley stations trolley station, the proposed San Diego Grand Central Station at SPAWAR, or the Santa Fe Depot around the eastern edge of the airport with an APM. Flexibility is an advantage of this option, being the only one that can connect to all of the proposed transit centers. Disadvantages include the curvy up and down route (necessitated by the need to dodge under landing aircraft and over N Harbor Dr to stop on Harbor Island) and need to cross a fault line on the north side of the airport.
This concept proposes swinging the other way around the airport, west through Liberty Station. Big advantage here is directly connecting the airport with an area dense with hotels and other tourist attractions. Disadvantage is the longer route and potential community concerns with running the ROW through/next to residential areas.
The undisputed king of dedicated ROWs, this option would directly connect the terminals with the proposed San Diego Grand Central Station with a tunnel underneath the runway and the MCRD. Advantages here are extremely low transit times and potentially lower construction impacts. Disadvantages are the extreme difficulty of trying to construct a tunnel through wet silt, far below sea level. While you're underneath a critical piece of transportation infrastructure that
cannot under absolutely any circumstances be allowed to subside even by a matter of millimeters, as this could cause cracks in the runway that would shut down the entire airport. There isn't a detailed estimate of costs yet, but I'd expect this option will be billions of dollars more expensive any of the others because of these issues. Also, the Marines have expressed some concerns with the idea of having thousands of airline passengers a day traveling underneath their secure military facility.
The direct trolley connection option. This could be connected to either the Blue Line or the Green Line, or both. No one is going to argue with the advantages that offering trolley passengers a one seat ride to the airport would offer. The huge disadvantage is that compared to an APM the trolley turns like an alcoholic cow on ambien. The connection structure will take up two whole blocks in Little Italy (which are currently a gas station and a parking lot though) and may require temporary closures of some or all transit coming into Santa Fe Depot and Pacific Highway. The Coast Guard will also need to agree to give up a portion of their base fronting Harbor Dr and agree to be cut off from the street for periods of time (as consolation they could have their own trolley stop).
And finally, Gondolas. Kooky idea as it might sound there is some sense behind this, gondolas are the cheapest method of providing dedicated ROW and the least impactful to traffic on the ground. But there are some doubts about the capability of the system to handle the expected traffic loads. With those elevated tower traveling north to the proposed Grand Central is impossible, and SANDAG is very firm that the Santa Fe Depot doesn't have the station space to make it feasible for North County residents make a connection from the Coaster. To explain a little further, with only four tracks the Depot won't be able to handle the required Coaster headways of 5-10 minutes SANDAG says would be necessary to get North County residents out of their cars (this is also their issue with connecting an APM to the Depot).
So, what do
you think is the best choice?
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