RANCHO PENASQUITOS: I-15 transit center to close for year

(CNS) – A transit center along Interstate 15 that serves
commuters in Rancho Penasquitos and Sabre Springs is scheduled to be shut down
for one year beginning Friday night for construction of a parking garage and other
upgrades.

The center at I-15 and Ted Williams Parkway will close at 8 p.m.,
according to the San Diego Association of Governments. Vehicles left in a
parking lot will be towed after that time.

The $12.2 million in planned improvements include a four-story parking
structure and added surface parking for a total of 630 spaces, bus staging
areas, new shelters and next-bus-arrival signs, according to SANDAG. There will
also be water-efficient landscaping, new lighting, solar panels that double as
a shade structure for cars, electric vehicle charging stations, fuel-efficient
and smart vehicle spaces, security cameras and a bicycle parking facility.

The planning agency reported that two other North County transit
stations that had been undergoing renovations are scheduled to open Monday.

The Del Lago Transit Center, on Del Lago Boulevard in Escondido — close
to Interstate 15 and Via Rancho Parkway, and the Rancho Bernardo Transit
Center, off West Bernardo Drive, were upgraded to accommodate a “bus rapid
transit” system to be rolled out next year, according to SANDAG. The agency
said the stations will have additional bus bays, electronic signs showing the
arrival time for the next bus, and security cameras.

“The investments we are making to launch the I-15 Bus Rapid Transit
service represent a giant step forward in expanding travel choices in the
region,” said Jack Dale, SANDAG's chairman and a Santee councilman. “The I-15
express lanes and the direct access ramps to the express lanes will allow buses
to speed up travel so they are time-competitive with solo driving.”

Another transit station is under construction at Miramar College, and a
direct access ramp from the freeway to the express lanes is being built at Mira
Mesa Boulevard.