A first-of-its-kind comprehensive analysis has found that San Diego’s 42 city-owned pedestrian bridges need more than $7 million in total repairs, but that none are in danger of collapsing or need emergency repairs.
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The new analysis, similar to comprehensive inspections of city buildings and other aging infrastructure in recent years, will allow San Diego officials to better prioritize the most critical bridge repairs and postpone others.
City transportation officials say they plan to make bridge maintenance and repairs a higher priority, requesting funding specifically for bridges in this year’s budget for the first time.
“We’ve never really had dedicated funding for bridge repairs and maintenance,” Naomi Chavez, interim director of the city’s Transportation Department, said this winter. “This would allow us to make the most critical repairs each year and extend the life of this important infrastructure.”
The new focus on bridges also includes the city’s 144 vehicular bridges, which are inspected on an every-other-year basis by the California Department of Transportation.
When both types of bridges are combined, city officials estimate they need $39.3 million to repair 131 vehicular bridges and 33 pedestrian bridges. Thirteen vehicular bridges and nine pedestrian bridges don’t need any immediate work, officials said.
The pedestrian bridges in need of the most expensive repairs are the South Chollas Channel bridge in Southcrest near Beta and 36th streets, which needs $3.3 million worth of work, and La Jolla’s Coast Walk bridge near Prospect Place at $790,000.
Other needed pedestrian bridge repairs with high price tags include six with estimated costs of about $250,000: Briarfield Cove in Mission Bay, B Street near Park Boulevard and 16th Street, Harbor Drive at Park Boulevard, Halsey Road in Liberty Station and two bridges over Pacific Highway — Sassafras Street and Taylor Street.
The list also includes some relatively inexpensive repair jobs, including four pedestrian bridges in Presidio Park that could each be repaired for about $10,000 or less.
The vehicular bridge repairs with the highest price tags are Friars Road at Sea World Drive, $2.3 million; Wabash Street at Main Street near Naval Base San Diego at $2.3 million; Sunset Cliffs over the San Diego River, $2 million; and Kearny Villa Road near Harris Plant Road at MCAS Miramar, $800,000.
Caltrans has also deemed six city vehicular bridges structurally deficient, but city officials stress that doesn’t mean those bridges are in danger of collapsing or need emergency repairs.
Those six bridges are the Wabash Street and Sunset Cliffs bridges that need expensive repairs along with four more: Grand Avenue at Rose Creek, Dairy Mart Road at Mesa Creek, Main Street at Chollas Creek and West Bernardo Drive at Green Valley Creek.
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“A ‘structurally deficient’ designation does not mean a bridge is unsafe or at risk of collapse,” said Transportation Department spokesperson Anthony Santacroce. “It indicates that certain components are in poorer condition and should be prioritized for repair.”
The city’s budget crisis prompted transportation officials to request far less than the $39.3 million needed to repair all the vehicular and pedestrian bridges.
They instead asked for $2 million, with hopes that money could become an annual sum they could use to slowly chip away at the backlog of bridge repairs.
That strategy is similar to how the city’s sidewalks, streetlights and other transportation assets get fixed. An analysis this winter found the city has a $7.8 billion backlog of infrastructure repairs — not including bridges.
City officials say they’ve evaluated pedestrian bridges on only an as-needed basis for decades but were able to shift to a more comprehensive and proactive approach last year thanks to a state grant.
Most of the $700,000 Caltrans Sustainable Transportation grant was spent updating the city’s bicycle master plan, but the city decided to use $20,000 to pay for assessments of all 42 pedestrian bridges.
Santacroce said the requested $2 million in annual funding for bridge repairs is just a starting point for a new bridge maintenance program.
“It reflects current budget constraints and a realistic level of work the city can deliver while the program is being established,” he said. “As the program ramps up and demonstrates consistent delivery, the city can scale funding over time to address a larger share of the overall repair needs.”
Santacroce said the city uses a variety of criteria to prioritize repair projects.
“The city uses a data-driven approach to prioritize repairs based on factors such as structural condition, traffic volumes and the type of terrain the bridge spans,” he said. “This helps identify bridges where timely repairs can extend useful life and avoid more costly replacements.”
The city also recently requested $5.4 million from Caltrans through the agency’s Bridge Preventative Maintenance Program.
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